Destruction of Magic
by YEB
Summary: Betrayed by the Niflheim homeland, Delenda Achilleus must forge a new alliance with her former enemies and fight back. As the stakes get higher, she must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie, and wrestle with her attraction to a certain glasses-wearing sidekick. OCxIgnis and deviates from cannon a bit.
1. Chapter 1: Delenda Achilleus

**Greetings All! Long-time reader here. I finally got inspired and decided to write something myself. I'm taking on Final Fantasy 15. I started with the basic question of what would happen if our boys had a girl on their team and took it from there. It's a slow-starter, but I have a lot more action planned. I hope you like where it's going so far. If you have questions, comments, feedback, etc, feel free to let me know or review. Follow/Favs are nice too ;-) Thanks for reading!**

* * *

The dark-haired woman couldn't keep up with the herd of Insomnian refugees once she left the ravaged city. Her frothy blue evening dress was not designed for the great outdoors. Her matching high heels, designed for a few hours use at a party, were not stout walking shoes and had already seen her through too much. She had to mince along in them, slowly. Her feet, having been pinched in them for hours, were protesting as well. She might be able to walk faster if she took them off. The searing pain of a piping hot Lucian desert road forced her to revise that decision.

After a "fun" few minutes of wedging her shoes back onto her swollen and now burnt feet, she looked around and realized she was all alone. The rest of the crowd had moved on beyond the heat-shimmering horizon. It's not like she was lost, she had to tell herself. If she followed the road she would find civilization eventually. As long as she didn't veer off the road she would not get lost. She trudged along, wincing at almost every step. She would never, ever wear high heels again. If she ever went to another fancy event, she would wear sneakers.

She decided to alternate the agony, taking her shoes off when she couldn't stand it anymore then putting them back on when the heat got too bad, so basically every few steps. Her progress was agonizingly slow, and she still didn't see another person or any vestige of civilization. Her one consolation was that the sun was going down and the air was getting cooler. She should be able to walk barefoot soon without a problem, which meant she might make up for lost time.

With dark coming on, she had no idea what to do. There didn't appear to be lights here, so it would be hard to see. Should she try to find a place to rest for the night, or should she keep going? The roadside on either side was not encouraging—just empty expanses of sand and scrub. She would have given anything to see even a rusted out abandoned shack, but there was just the "great outdoors." She had no choice. She would have to keep going.

She had never known such a deep darkness and silence. Out here was an empty moon-washed void, the only sounds her footsteps and her breathing. Until she heard the deep groaning behind her, like a building collapsing. She turned around quickly to see a black mist forming. She watched it, frozen, as it took shape as a gelatinous blob, with glowing, evil eyes.

Her luck, such as it was, had finally run out.

* * *

2 weeks earlier:

Delenda Aurora Beatrix Achilleus despised getting to work after her boss. It made her feel like she was late for work, even if said boss got in insanely early (as he was known to do). She hated her name even more though, a legacy of her aristocratic heritage that as far as she was concerned, she could do without. As part of the Niflheim aristocracy, her family had been tasked with supporting the Emperor's war machine for years. Her father had done his part, faithfully serving as a colonel in the Niflheim military until his death in battle shortly before Delenda's 20th birthday 2 years ago.

At least Delenda was spared combat. She was able to support the war effort on the diplomatic front, serving as personal secretary to Chancellor Ardyn Izunia for the past 4 years. So, she was in her own way supporting peace, even if she was not always sure what her boss was doing. He seemed too…weird to be a competent representative of Niflheim but he had managed to keep his job for a long time now, so Emperor Aldercept must have thought he was doing something right.

Still, she hated getting to work after him.

He was already there for the day all right, holed up in his office in the imperial capital of Gralea, sprawled out in his desk chair with his feet resting on his desk. He hadn't even bothered to turn on the lights or the heater as far as Delenda could tell. The chilly air of a seemingly endless Gralea winter was oozing in, instantly chilling her. Ardyn seemed impervious, but then again that may be why he was still wearing his heavy dark gray cloak and fedora.

"Good Morning, Delicatessen", Ardyn drawled as she entered the office. He did that a lot, calling her anything from Delilah to Linda to increasing distant-sounding names. She had given up on reminding him about her name months ago, he knew full well what her name was, and just was doing it to get a rise out of her.

It worked far too often. "Is this a hint you would like breakfast, sir?" Delenda replied, trying to keep the snark out of her voice

She obviously failed in that endeavor. Ardyn laughed, having succeeded in his efforts to get her to rise to the bait. "No, but a cup of ebony wouldn't go amiss".

She prepared the caffeinated beverage. She learned long ago to just bring the tray of milk and sugar in with her since he didn't take his ebony the same way every day. Some days he drank it so sweet it would rot your teeth out, other times so full of milk it was like coffee-flavored milk. She had given up trying to predict.

"I apologize for being late today, sir" Delenda said as she delivered the tray.

"On the contrary, this is your regular time I believe. I was here much earlier than you, in fact, I never left the office last night."

"Never left the office? There is nothing wrong I trust?"

Ardyn laughed heartily. "Of course not, it might actually be something good for us. Tell me, what do you think about Insomnia?"

"Other than the fact you must have it to have been here all night, in the dark, freezing your ass off." Delenda thought, but she guessed that he probably meant their hostile neighbor across the sea. The metropolis steeped in magic and protected by a crystal shield. The empire had been coveting control of the city for years and been waging ongoing war in an attempt to get it. She chose to be cautious in her response:

"They are our enemies for the time being but peace would be beneficial for all".

"Spoken like a true diplomat! I will make one out of you yet! That's not really much of an answer though. Trust me, I know. I give answers like that quite often. My duties require it, you know," he replied with a smirk.

"Permission to speak plainly sir?"

"I wish you would, Della." Ardyn replied with a smile that she assumed was supposed to be encouraging but instead seemed slimy and off somehow. But it's not like her opinion really mattered or would destroy the world so she gave it a go.

"Well, the way I see it, Insomnia is pretty far away. We have to cross an ocean to get close to it which is a logistical nightmare for us. Even when we get there, from what I hear we have to face an intensely loyal populace who reveres King Regis and his son Noctis. Even if we could conquer them, we wouldn't be able to hold them and keeping supply lines open with that distance and an ocean in the way would not be feasible. All told, I personally think we should leave them alone."

"Ah, but then we recently had a decisive victory. In fact, we could have destroyed them had we pursued the attack. Then we would hold Lucis, would we not?"

"But at what cost, sir," Delenda tapered off, wondering if she had said too much after all.

"As wise are you are brilliant! My thoughts actually fall along those lines as well. That's why I spoke with our dear Emperor and we are in agreement that we will forge a peace treaty with them. With some conditions of course."

"What kind of conditions, if I may ask sir?"

Ardyn smiled mysteriously. "Time will tell, my dear, time will tell. I will be leaving for Insomnia in the morning. I know you will like it there."

"Wait sir, you would like me to come with you?"

"It is a diplomatic mission after all, I need you by my side to assist. And besides, your life is too boring, you need an adventure."

* * *

What should she pack for her business trip to Insomnia, Delenda mused as she wrestled her suitcase out of the closet. She knew it was hot there, it was near a desert after all, but she would be in a city with (presumably) air conditioning. Well, it's not like she needed to dress as a fashion plate, as if she could ever be one. She knew her limitations. She was tall, big boned, and dark-haired where the Niflheim ideal was petite, delicate blonde. Her eyes were dark to go with her hair (no fascinating hair/eye combo for her) and she was fair-skinned. She wondered if the Insomnian sun would give her sunburn. She hadn't seen the sun in who knows how long. Gralea was perpetually cold, dreary, and gloomy lately, ever since the battle against Shiva in fact. Maybe sunburn would actually be a good problem to have.

It's not like she dressed in fashionable clothes either—she tended to wear either business suits for work (she preferred pants suits to skirts) or loungewear in her off time. She had written off aristocratic functions after her father died. She had always been shy and awkward at them anyway and knew they were just a shill to find a phony aristocrat to marry her. Marriage was not a priority for her, and she spent more time working than focusing on a relationship anyway. So, there were no fancy dresses in her wardrobe. Her clothes were just like her, practical and generic. Luckily it would be a business trip, so pants suits all the way!

She made her way to the office. Ardyn said an airship would pick them up on the roof to take them across the ocean. She always thought they were ugly—big black flying boxes that looked like what they were, weapons rather than passenger vehicles. She also remembered her father saying how uncomfortable they were to ride in.

"Oh good you made it. Welcome to our humble transport across the sea." Ardyn gestured to the airship with a flourish. "I hope you don't get airsick—the ship can be quite bumpy at times, oh, and I hope you brought a coat—it gets cold at high altitudes."

"Now he tells me," she thought. She had left her winter coat at home since she knew Insomnia was hot this time of year and didn't want to be lugging a heavy coat around the whole time. She looked around the metal box/mode of transportation. Much of the room was taken up by a red convertible. "What's the car doing in here? Delenda asked."

"Oh it's mine." Ardyn said airily. "I never leave home without it."

She grabbed a random seat that folded down from the wall of the ship. It was hard and uncomfortable. Her travelling companion hadn't mentioned that little tidbit. He was already seated, fedora over his face, napping. She grabbed her blazer, set it on her lap like a blanket, and endured for the next several hours.

Ardyn was true to his word, up to a point. The ship did take them across the ocean all right, but not to Insomnia. "I confess I'm a wee bit unsure of our welcome." He confided in Delenda, "so it wouldn't do to arrive in an imperial vessel." They landed somewhere outside the city, and he offloaded his car.

"This is much better. We will look just like the locals now. Hop in, and don't scuff the leather" Ardyn instructed. "Oh, and hold onto this too," he added, handing her his fedora.

Delenda bit her lip but complied. Unless everyone in Insomnia dressed as weirdly as Ardyn did, Delenda didn't know how they would blend in, but she supposed it was a better option than flying in. It was definitely hot here—she scanned the desert landscape as they passed. Hard to believe that it went from gigantic city to this in a relatively short distance. Ardyn drove fast but not recklessly—but even with the air circulating around the open top car as they drove, the heat was still a harsh undercurrent.

At least the wind wasn't blowing her hair in her face, a typical annoyance. She liked to keep her black hair short—as her hair got longer it turned shaggy and hard to manage. It also helped her present a no-nonsense air that was an asset in her line of work. It was also beneficial when riding in a convertible apparently. She didn't know how Ardyn could stand it—he kept his auburn hair long, almost down to his shoulders. It was blowing all over the place in the hot breeze. How could he even see? She could see why he'd given her his fedora though—otherwise it would have blown out into the desert long ago

The change from desert to city was definitely abrupt. They reached a bridge and she could see the skyscrapers beyond it. She couldn't even estimate their height, but they put Gralea to shame. She stared at it, awestruck, slack jawed as they drove closer.

"Pretty impressive, hmm" Ardyn asked, smirking at her expression.

"Very" was all she could say. Delenda was never snobby about her social status, but she was definitely feeling like a low-brow hick now. And it was not a comfortable feeling.

There was a guard shack at the bridge and she couldn't help tensing up. Ardyn had said they might not be welcome and if that were the case, things could get ugly, and bloody, very quickly. For all of Ardyn's oiliness, he was also capable when he chose to be, so they were able to get through customs without incident. He claimed they were tourists from Altissia though, not imperial diplomats, and that made her uneasy.

He parked on a side street shortly past the entrance to the city, walked around the car, and opened her door.

"Ok. This is where you get out."

"Wait, what?"

"Get out, enjoy yourself, see the city."

"But…you said you needed me to work."

"I'll need you, eventually, but not right now. I've got your mobile number if I need you. Here's my credit card, play tourist on me", he said, placing a platinum card in her hand. "Oh, and my hat, please, dear."

She could only watch like an idiot as he jumped back in the car and drove out of sight. It was only after he turned the corner that she realized he took her suitcase with him.

She didn't notice the light-brown-haired, bespectacled man lounging against the building behind her, watching her suspiciously.


	2. Chapter 2: Duty Calls

**Wow! I'm shocked at all the positive feedback I've gotten so far. You guys are the best. Anyway, here is part 2 featuring our favorite strategist and some Kingsglaive-era action. I hope you guys like and feel free to review, follow/fave :)**

* * *

It only took Delenda a minute or 2 to switch from dazed shock to blazing fury. Why the hell did Ardyn drag her here, put her through hours of discomfort on a torture device/airship, just to toss her out of the car like a piece of litter. And then to give her money and a "buy yourself something pretty". What a jerk, what an ASSHOLE! There, that term made her feel a lot better.

As if she would take his money—she had pride after all and the thought of using his money for her personal things made her skin crawl. She wished she could be more petty though—there was something satisfying at the thought of getting revenge for his insulting behavior by running his card to the limit.

Then there was the reality: she was alone, in an enemy country with an unreliable ASSHOLE boss who may or may not help her out if she was detained by the authorities. She looked around quickly. The people she saw walking to and fro as part of their daily lives looked like her. At least Delenda did not stand out physically, so as long as she acted natural she would be left alone (probably). She couldn't stand on the street forever though. In her experience, loitering always looked suspicious so she had to be doing something other than standing around to pass for normal.

She saw a restaurant across the street. Might as well start small by grabbing a meal—when she was distressed as a young child her mother would always say "eat this, you will feel better." It didn't matter if it was a package of store-bought cookies or a home cooked meal, it always worked. At times like this she missed her mother, who had died when she was 12. She would have known just what to feed Delenda to make her feel better. As usual, Delenda would have to fend for herself.

The restaurant was small and mostly empty this time of day. There were some open tables outside, but she felt less exposed by being inside a building. And it was cooler in there too. She sat down at the counter and perused the menu, debating whether to find the most familiar dish to order or the most exotic Insomnia-specific dish.

"You can't go wrong with a Croque Madame" said a suave voice to her right. She looked over quickly at the man who spoke. His appearance did not match his voice. He was dressed in black jeans, a silk shirt, and a black leather jacket. His hair was light brown, short, and looked like he slicked it back with glue. She was used to those types in the aristocracy, the guys who used too much hair gel and cologne; dressed like "players"; drawled and whined; and when all was said and done were weak jerks.

Still, there was something about him that told her not to underestimate him. His accents were smooth, cultured. There was intelligence in his green eyes, hidden behind his glasses. He would not be an easy man to fool, Delenda thought uneasily, then shook it off. He was just a dude in a restaurant, not a threat.

"I thought you liked my fried fish, Ignis," the chubby proprietress accused him.

"Well I do, but I don't see it on the menu today, Bertha." The man called Ignis responded dryly.

"I like to change up my menu sometimes, young man" Bertha quipped back. "Now, young missy, what can I get you?"

Delenda decided to just follow her counter-buddy's advice and get the croque madame.

"So you followed my advice, madam," the man spoke again. Great, he wanted to make small talk. She wasn't sure how distinguishable her accent was—she knew there were imperial refugees everywhere so she had to hope that an imperial inflection would not raise any red flags with him.

"Well, since it looks like you are a regular here, I figured I should go with it."

He was studying her through his glasses again. "And you are not. May I ask your name?"

She thought for a minute of giving a fake name but then decided it wouldn't be worth it. "Delenda Achilleus" she introduced, holding out her hand to shake. As long as she didn't give out her full long name, her imperial origins would remain hidden.

He repeated her name to himself to get better acquainted with it, as he shook her offered hand. Based on his looks, she thought he would have a weak, diffident handshake. To her surprise his grip was surprisingly strong. "Charmed, I am Ignis Scientia. Are you new to the neighborhood?"

It was a seemingly innocuous question, but Delenda was feeling like she was being interrogated. She'd be dumb to claim she was born and bred here so she had to admit she was foreign. "I'm from" she panicked for a moment, forgetting where Ardyn had claimed they were from when checking in with the city guard. "Altissia." It was a good choice actually, being a far away, neutral site.

Ignis was looking at her pretty intently. Had he noticed her pause, was he suspicious?

"I've heard it's a beautiful city. Any recipes you would recommend if I ever visit there? I'm always out to try local dishes you see so it would be grand to have some advance knowledge."

Oh no, she had already dug herself into a hole. She had to come up with something, and fast.

"Well, it's hard to say really. You know as a local things you think are pretty hum-drum are exotic to somebody else. Unfortunately I'd have to recommend a guidebook since they have a better perspective on it." Yay me, she thought, gloating at her quick thinking. Her smug relief changed quickly when she met his gaze. He was decidedly suspicious now—if she thought he was studying her before it was nothing like now. She felt like a bug under a magnifying glass.

His mobile phone rang interrupting him. After a terse conversation he hung up. "My apologies, Bertha, but duty calls." He rose from his chair with surprising grace. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Achilleus. We will meet again soon, I'm sure." And with that, he strode out, leaving Delenda to wonder if she had just been threatened.

"That man, " Bertha lamented. "I don't think he's gotten a full sit-down lunch in ages. Guess the life of a Kingsglaive will do that to you."

Wait, Delenda thought to herself. That guy is a Kingsglaive? One of the elite royal guards, deadly with both weapons and magic? Thank goodness she hadn't known or she probably would have panicked during his conversation. Or was it an interrogation? She didn't want to speculate on what would happen if he found out who she really was, at least until the peace treaty went through.

* * *

Delenda found out Ardyn's plan a few hours later, once it hit the newsstands. The Empire decided they would end the war with Lucis if they would cede the lands outside of Insomnia to the Empire and that prince Noctis would marry the Oracle Lunafreya from Tenebrae, a "protectorate" (aka conquered kingdom) of the empire. Did they really think Lucis would jump at that? It seemed awfully one-sided to her. And forcing 2 people to marry in this day and age was unthinkable.

To her surprise, Lucis agreed, to a mixed reception by the populace. After that, other imperial aristocrats and politicians began to arrive in Insomnia to join into the war ending festivities and deal with the logistical fallout of a peace treaty. Through it all, Delenda was forgotten. Ardyn had remembered her just long enough to return her bag and to recommend a "quite pleasant" hotel in the tourist district where she could stay for the time being.

Delenda spent her days grabbing meals at the local markets and restaurants, purchasing the extra necessities she needed from the local shops, giving the treaty protesters a wide berth, locked in a seemingly endless limbo. It was silly to just be killing time just in case her boss needed her for anything. The protesters made her uneasy. If she drew too much attention to herself, they may identify her as "Imperial trash" and things could get ugly.

Ardyn finally remembered her existence on the day before the peace treaty was due to be signed. Delenda was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing.

"Sir," she spoke into the phone, a bit more groggy than she would have liked.

"Good morning Delenda Aurora Beatrix Achilleus. Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" Ardyn asked with exaggerated guilt.

At least he had used her real name today, even it was all 4 of them. "Of course not, sir," she lied. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I deeply apologize for the short notice, but his majesty is hosting a celebratory dinner for all of the imperial delegation tonight. As my secretary, I really think you should be there. Oh, and it's a formal do of course. Make sure you dress up. I'll have a car sent for you at 4. Ciao."

Damn him, damn him, damn him! She fumed, jumping out of bed. How the hell was she going to find a court dress in a few hours? Did he have any idea the effort and cost that would require? With her past experience with these types of affairs, she needed to have a dress custom measured, made, and ordered months in advance. And she knew that with her proportions, it was always hard to find a dress that fit right. And if she showed up with a generic store-bought, bad-fitting evening dress, would it insult the king? Would he break off the treaty? She snorted at the absurdity of it—he would hardly be likely to break off the treaty because of the way she was dressed. She would probably spend the whole evening being ignored in a corner anyway. Heck, she could probably show up in jeans and a tee shirt and nobody would notice her.

The hotel manager proved to be helpful. He pointed out a dress shop a few blocks away that happened to have a new shipment of dresses brought in as a result of the treaty. "A lot of people are partying now, so we need to meet the demand" the dress shop manager told her. Delenda settled on a peacock-blue taffeta ballgown with a full skirt. It didn't fit quite right—it was tighter than she liked in the bust, the skirt didn't quite make it all the way to her ankles, and it looked like it was designed to be a bridesmaid's dress. However, it was the best she could come up with on short notice. Blue pumps and evening bag completed her half-baked ensemble.

The black Audi sedan showed up promptly at 4. The man who opened the door for her looked to be another glaive—he was dressed in a black suit like the man in the restaurant had been. To her surprise, she was not alone when she got in. There was a slight blonde girl already seated serenely in the corner, and, she couldn't help noticing, dressed far better for the event than she was. Had Delenda gotten into the wrong car?

"It looks like we will be riding to the Citadel together, I'm Lunafreya." She inclined her head in a bow.

Lunafreya, as in the one marrying the prince? "I'm definitely in the wrong car," Delenda thought, but the car was already moving. She'd have to brazen it out, but what did one say to the lynch-pin of the peace effort? She settled on the generic "It's an honor to meet you, I'm Delenda Aurora Beatrix Achilleus." She figured now was the time to play up her aristocratic heritage for all it's worth.

It was unclear if Lunafreya even noticed. She seemed preoccupied, but given the circumstances it made sense.

"I understand congratulations are in order?" Delenda offered next, doing her best to keep from falling into an awkward silence.

"Yes, thank you very much. It's a great honor to marry Prince Noctis and bring hope and peace to the world."

It was definitely one of what Ardyn would call "not much of an answer" types of responses. Lunafreya seemed blank. Was she really that empty or was it just a mask? Did the thought of marrying a stranger frighten her at all? Was she really so accepting of it?

"If you don't mind me saying, Lady Lunafreya, it is quite brave of you to marry someone you don't know very well for the good of the many. I don't think I could have made that choice."

Lunafreya smiled then. "Please, call me Luna. And actually, I do know Noctis quite well. We have known each other since we were very young. I know in my heart we will get along all right."

"That's good, to be honest I wasn't comfortable with the whole arranged marriage part of this. While peace is great for us, you and Noctis have to bear the burden of it." She had the feeling she had spoken out of turn, but before she could figure out how to backpedal or change the subject, the car was stopping. They have driven through the gates of the Citidel. The "Glaive" was already opening the door for Luna and there was a set of guards outside all ready to guide her in. Delenda made her way out of the car, trying to figure out what to do next when the "Glaive" driver came over to escort her inside.

She didn't have a chance to gawk at the Citadel up close—she was brought inside before she could perceive the sheer scale of it. The anteroom she was put in was pretty impressive though. Her escort departed, leaving her to wait for whatever came next.

* * *

Delenda found it strange that Prince Noctis wasn't present at the banquet. She would have thought the event would also serve as an engagement party for Noctis and Luna but apparently that wasn't the case. Perhaps it was a security thing? Both King Regis and Emperor Aldercept were here, so it was already a top-heavy event. She had never met either of them—Ardyn always did his business with Aldercept on his own, leaving her outside. Aldercept did not attend noble events, at least the ones she had attended. He seemed unapproachable, a legacy from the old belief that Emperors were gods and above everyone else. She was surprised he didn't force the old custom of forbidding his subjects to ever look upon him.

King Regis seemed much more approachable. He was well-spoken, an affable host, and seemed to genuinely want to make everyone feel welcome. She was shocked when she was escorted to him so that he could "greet her personally."

"Please rise, my child. You are a guest here, not a subject."

She jumped up from her curtsy, startled. "That is kind of you to say, your majesty."

"I hear you are Chancellor Izunia's secretary. I must thank you for your efforts for supporting peace between our nations."

"Thank you, your majesty. I am glad that peace is upon us."

"I hope you enjoy your stay with us." And with that, he moved on. At least her dress had passed muster. Thank goodness she hadn't gone the jeans and tee shirt route, she thought, suppressing the urge to laugh hysterically.

Otherwise, the banquet was just as tedious as any aristocratic affair she had been to. Delenda would have thought it would be much more exciting since it was related to the historic peace between 2 long-standing enemies. The food was fancy-looking but tasteless, the conversation full of small talk and inane laughter. She did her part the best she could, but by the time dessert was served, she was feeling ragged and would have given anything to return to her hotel.

They were adjourning to the roof for after-dinner drinks and, from what King Regis had promised, a fireworks display to commemorate the occasion. Ardyn approached shortly after she made it upstairs. He was dressed as he always was—with his cloak and fedora, and not even a formal version of each.

He tipped his hat to her with a flourish. "Good Evening, Delenda. You are as looking as lovely as ever." His tone was oily, insincere—the same types of compliments he had been making to everyone all evening. "You made a particular impression with Luna today. I'm so glad she was able to bring you here safely. She's asked for you specifically, in fact."

"Really, sir?" She hadn't thought Luna had any opinion of her one way or the other.

He gave a sweeping gesture to the other side of the roof. "Yes, she's in the anteroom over there. You should hurry and see what she wants."

Even with the booming of the fireworks, it was quieter as she moved away from the crowd towards Luna's stronghold. She passed 2 guards on the way, who glanced at her but didn't waylay her. She knocked on the door of the room first. "Lady Lunafreya?" There was no response. Maybe she couldn't hear her because of the fireworks? She turned the knob, making as much noise as she could to announce her presence, half expecting a guard to come out and interrogate her. The door opened. The room seemed empty. She was just about to close the door and leave when she saw dainty feet sticking out from behind the settee.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed out loud as she ran to the person. It was Luna, unresponsive on the floor, blood leaving pink streaks in her blond hair. For one frozen moment, Delenda thought she was dead, until she saw the shallow rising and falling of her chest. She was unconscious then. How long had she been out? They said any longer than 30 seconds and somebody could be brain damaged for life. She knelt down and began rubbing her wrists. They did that to unconscious people, right?

"Luna, can you hear me? It's Delenda. Are you ok?" She repeated this litany but there was still no change. She couldn't do this by herself, she needed help. She rose quickly, just to see the 2 glaives from earlier entering the room.

"Oh thank God you're here! Lady Lunafreya is hurt. She needs help immediately."

The glaive surveyed Luna quickly. "Hurt you say? Try struck on the head with a blunt object. What did you use on her, a vase, a broom handle?"

"Wait! You don't think I had anything to do with this? I just found her like this."

"I saw you pass by here a few minutes ago. You are the only one who has been down here…"

But…

"Cornelia, arrest her," the glaive spoke to the other. She approached Delenda, brandishing handcuffs. Resistance was futile. Delenda stood there, fighting back tears, as Cornelia pushed her hands behind her back, cuffed her, then led her to her fate.


	3. Chapter 3: Blood Red Betrayal

**Me again! I'm just about to head out for vacation, so I figured I would put one more chapter up in case anyone was left hanging after Chapter 2. It's a long chapter-hope that's ok. Hope you guys like! Thanks so much for all the feedback and support!**

* * *

All castles were the same, even if said castle was a skyscraper. The "dungeon" or as Delenda's captors called it, "Detention Level" was in the basement of the Citadel—underground, where parking garages usually went.

Delenda had been moldering in the dark, windowless interrogation room for what seemed like hours. She had told her story for the umpteenth time, first to her arresting officers, then to their supervisor. Now they had left her to cool her heels, probably thinking the pressure would make her crack. Just when she was getting ready to go to the door, to remind them that she still existed, yet another glaive came in. She surveyed him, the prey sizing up the hunter to see how to best fight or flee. Hatchet-faced, slicked back hair, he embodied brutality. Had they decided to torture the truth of her?

"Get up," he ordered.

She stood up, legs shaking with fear. He moved behind her. She tensed, waiting for an attack, doing her best to follow him with her eyes, keeping her eye on the threat. He undid her handcuffs from behind her back then sat down in the chair opposite her.

She sat down again, stretching her freed arms and fingers.

"I am Commander Lazerus. I am in charge of this investigation." His eyes bored into hers. "You will tell me everything I want to know. If you lie to me, I will break you. Believe, me, it will be no hardship for me."

She had never felt so cold in her life. The man before her was empty, soulless. She had no doubt he would do what he said.

She told her story again, doing her best to keep calm.

"You say Lady Lunafreya told your superior Ardyn Izunia that she wanted to see you?"

"Yes. He told me that she did."

"That's funny, when I asked him he said he had never told you any such thing."

"He, he did?"

"Yes," Lazerus sounded almost gleeful. "He also said that he feared you were going to do something 'drastic' to Luna." And so saying, he reached over and struck her, so hard that she and the chair fell over. She lay there, in shock. It hardly registered when the other glaives came in to escort her to a jail cell.

* * *

The cell was even colder than the interrogation room had been. With nothing but a toilet and cot with a thin blanket, the room was enough to make even the innocent feel guilty. At least the guards hadn't put the handcuffs back on her.

Delenda's shock was wearing off, and she was beginning to feel the pain from her attack. The puffiness of her skirt should have cushioned her fall, but from the pain in her hip, it was apparent that it did nothing. She wondered idly how many bruises she would have. She hoped she didn't get a black eye, but from the pain in her face from his strike, she feared she might.

With her shock fading, the wheels in her mind were starting to turn again. Why had Ardyn lied to Lazerus? Had he lied to her too? Did Luna really want to see her? If Ardyn had lied, then…

He had set her up. That had to be the answer. He, or somebody else, had attacked Luna right before she got there, then he had lured Delenda to the scene of the crime for the authorities to draw the obvious conclusion. But why would he do that to her?

Maybe that had been his plan all along, a dark voice spoke in her mind. Why else would have brought her along, claiming he needed her to work for him, then ignoring her. Maybe he had even planned her ride in with Luna, to make it more believable that she would want to speak to Delenda.

The more she thought of it, the more convinced she was that Ardyn had betrayed her. He had used her, and tossed her aside. All of her loyal, hard work had been for nothing. All the ebony she had made, the showing up early every day to try to stay ahead of him, the mocking of her name, had been pointless. He just needed a fall guy, or girl, and she had been it.

Then her thoughts kept going. If he had planned it since before they left for Insomnia, then what about the whole peace treaty? What did he have to gain about proposing the peace treaty then hurting Luna? What if the peace treaty was a lie, and Luna had found about it, or something. Or they were using her to sabotage it? Her blood ran cold. She had to stop this line of thinking. The only fact she had was that Ardyn had lied and betrayed her. She didn't know the why, and it was a stretch to think that he did it as part of some mass conspiracy. He was such a manipulative bastard, he may have done it just "for giggles" as he would say with no ulterior motive behind it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a creak of the door. Cornelia, the glaive who had arrested her, came in with a tray of food. Just as Cornelia handed her the tray, there was a massive explosion, shaking the entire building. The tray dropped, sliding along the floor leaving a trail of spilled water and oatmeal. Delenda was knocked to the ground, again and even Cornelia had to grab a doorframe to keep herself up.

"What the hell is going on!" Cornelia exclaimed as the booming and shaking continued. She ran out of the cell, forgetting to close the door in her haste.

Delenda stared at the open door. Should she try to escape? If she were caught, she could kiss her claims of innocence good bye. It was the continued shaking that decided her. If the building couldn't take it, she would be buried underneath it. She made her way out the door, taking a furtive glance around to see if she saw any other guards. The corridor was empty, silent. She made her way down the hall in a random direction, grasping at the wall to keep her balance from the continued shaking. She had no idea where she was going or how far she would get when she saw a stairwell.

Stairs were even trickier with the shaking. She grasped the handrail for dear life, only ascending another step when there was comparatively less shaking. The noises were getting louder. She was beginning to hear mechanical whines amid the booming—they almost sounded like…imperial airships. No, she couldn't speculate with nothing to go on, but she had the sinking suspicion that her wild guess in her cell had been eerily, terrifyingly, correct.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she reached the ground floor. She came out of the stairwell, just about to turn a corner when she saw a troop of magitek soldiers run by. She jumped back, hiding in the stairwell. If those soulless robots had seen her, she had no doubt she would be dead. She knew more about those things than she wanted to. Her brother, Cicero worked in the Magitek, or as she called it, Mad Science lab. He had buried himself into his research more and more since their father had died. He told her they were machines infused with magic and were deliberately programmed to not be able to tell friend from foe. That meant they were incorruptible on the battlefield and once they were launched, all should stay out of their way. The fact that the emperor had unleashed them here, after promising peace was…monstrous, barbaric. The fact that "her people" had done this made her ill.

She had to escape. She was no fighter and couldn't do anything to help anyone. She hoped Luna was ok and King Regis, but all she could do was hope. Heart pounding in terror, she made her way back to the corner where the forces had been. There were none right now, but she could hear screams coming from down the hall indicating that the robots were doing their deadly work.

For now the coast was clear for her, so she ran, never looking behind her. If a stray blade or shot was aiming for her, she would sooner not see it coming. She made her way to the main hall, now so different from when she came in. Bodies were strewn, the walls were pitted and stained, but amazingly, there were no magitek guards here. They must have made their way further in already.

What she saw outside was a vision that would be burned into her memory for the rest of her life: the once vibrant city was now in ruins—buildings with holes ripped in their sides. The famous crystal shield that covered the city like a second sky was completely shattered, and in its place were hordes of airships, dropping more and more magitek soldiers and firing upon random buildings. People on the ground were running in panic, a stampede of horror. Bodies on the ground were ominously still, being trampled on willy-nilly by the horrified populace.

It was a one sided battle. Where were all the glaives? She spared a thought for the gentleman at the restaurant. Had he tried to fight back? What had happened to him? He found herself hoping he was ok. He had been polite to her and he was apparently a gourmand, which made him seem more approachable somehow. He didn't deserve to die. She was cynically sure that the bastard who had struck her was still alive. He was just as brutal as the robots. The only bright side to this was if he were killed. She stopped herself. There was no silver lining to this. Just a blood-red one. The destruction was senseless. Conquest was supposed to leave you with something to rule—it seemed that the Empire just wanted to level the city and leave nothing left. She saw an airship hovering against the Citadel, and even as she watched, she could see them loading a giant crystal onto it. Had that been what they were after all along?

She would have to get out of the city—based on how much the Citadel had been shaking, none of the buildings were safe. She was near panic herself. Should she follow the herd? Would she be safer in crowd, or would that make her a larger target? Did the empire want the highest body count? She didn't know the way out of the city labyrinth, so she had no choice. She filed in line with the rest and made her way towards the frontier bridge. Luck appeared to be with her. The empire must have decided that civilians were not worth their time and were concentrating all of their efforts on the resistance. She was able to make her way across the bridge, the same bridge that she and Ardyn had driven across when they arrived. She couldn't help glancing back at the city, at almost the exact same spot where she had first gawked at the city on the way in. Now it was in ruins, a mortally wounded, dying entity.

She couldn't keep up with the herd once she left the city. Her high heels, designed for a few hours use at a party, were not stout walking shoes and had already seen her through too much. She had to mince along in them, slowly. Her feet, having been pinched in them for hours, were protesting as well. She might be able to walk faster if she took them off. The searing pain of a piping hot desert road forced her to revise that decision.

After a "fun" few minutes of wedging her shoes back onto her swollen and now burnt feet, she looked around and realized she was all alone. The rest of the crowd had moved on beyond the heat-shimmering horizon. It's not like she was lost she had to tell herself. If she followed the road she would find civilization eventually. As long as she didn't veer off the road she would not get lost. She trudged along, wincing at almost every step. She would never, ever wear high heels again. If she ever went to another fancy event, she would wear sneakers.

She decided to alternate the agony, taking her shoes off when she couldn't stand it anymore then putting them back on when the heat got too bad, so basically every few steps. Her progress was agonizingly slow and she still didn't see another person or any vestige of civilization. Her one consolation was that the sun was going down and the air was getting cooler. She should be able to walk barefoot soon without a problem, which meant she might make up for lost time.

With dark coming on, she had no idea what to do. There didn't appear to be lights here, so it would be hard to see. Should she try to find a place to rest for the night, or should she keep going? The roadside on either side was not encouraging—just empty expanses of sand and scrub. She would have given anything to see even a rusted out abandoned shack, but there was just the "great outdoors." She had no choice, she would have to keep going.

She had never known such a deep darkness and silence. Gralea never slept as far as she could tell, so there were always lights and activity even in the middle of the night. Out here was an empty moon-washed void, the only sounds her footsteps and her breathing. Until she heard the deep groaning behind her, like a building collapsing. She turned around quickly to see a black mist forming. She watched it, frozen, as it took shape as a gelatinous blob, with glowing, evil eyes.

Her luck, such as it was, had finally run out.

* * *

Delenda knew this was no peaceful creature. It wanted her dead. She could see it in its baleful eyes, hear it in the rumbling groans it was making. She couldn't believe it. She had made it through arrest, betrayal, war, and desert heat, just to be taken down by a goddamn blob? Boiling hot fury surged through her. "No way, I'm not letting this asshole take me down", she thought. "Let's see how fast this thing can move." And she was off running into the desert. She didn't even feel the pain in her feet now, pure adrenaline was moving through her veins that blocked everything except the need to put some distance between her and it. She refused to let a snagging skit hold her back. She could feel her skirt ripping as it shredded past sharp rocks and brush. Then she heard another groan, and more black mist appeared before her, revealing a giant this time. Running wouldn't save her. This time she knew she was dead.

"Careful Noct. This is a big one," cautioned a raspy gruff voice out of the darkness. Then suddenly there was a group of 4 guys around her with lights and, more importantly, weapons.

"Wait, there's a girl here!" one of them, a young man from the sound of it, said.

"We can't win this one. Gladio, Noct, you cover our retreat. Prompto, you and I will escort the lady out of here." That voice sounded strangely familiar, she thought.

"Hi I'm Prompto," the boyish-voiced one said as he approached.

"No time to chat now. We must flee," the familiar-voiced man said as he came up to her other side and grabbed her arm. Then they were running again. Well, they were more dragging/carrying her.

"Wait, what was that thing," she asked breathlessly as they moved along.

"It was a Daemon. They come out after dark and are dangerous to confront, unprepared." the familiar voice said.

They stopped at a hillside etched in glowing blue runes.

"Camp sweet camp," the one called Prompto said as he threw himself to one of the lawn chairs gathered around what was probably a fire pit. Delenda surveyed the camp. There were 3 lawn chairs beside the one Prompto was sitting in, 4 small tents, and a cooking area.

She turned to her other escort. "T-thank you so much. If you hadn't arrived when you did, I would not be…"

"Glad to be of service, but the question is, why was it necessary? What were you doing out there?" She knew that voice, and she squinted in the darkness to try to see his face. She could see the reflection of his glasses in the moonlight.

"Ignis," she asked breathlessly.

He froze for a second then turned his flashlight in her direction. He took in her face, attire, and disheveled appearance in a single, sweeping glance.

"Miss Achilleus. We were fated again to meet again after all."

* * *

It was amazing what even traces of civilization could do. Delenda was seated in a lawn chair by a roaring fire, drinking tea and a soup that Ignis had made himself. Nothing had ever felt so comfortable or tasted so good.

"None of that cup of noodle swill here," Ignis had said with a side-long glance to Gladio, a gruff, tattooed, brawny man who had awkwardly asked her if she was injured then ignored her.

"I dunno what you have against cup of noodles. They're filling and hearty," Gladio grumbled.

"Why don't I just give you the contents of this salt shaker to ingest, then? It's the same thing," Ignis had replied.

"Hey Noct, remember when I ate 4 straight teaspoons of salt on a dare in middle school," Prompto asked the 4th one of their group.

"Yeah, and you were sick all night. I had to keep getting you glasses of water," Noct had replied.

Delenda was trying to figure out the group dynamics. They all seemed to be good friends. Since Ignis was a glaive, did that mean the others were too? What were they doing out here? Ignis was the one doing the cooking—why wasn't she surprised, she thought with a smile. The one called Gladio had started the fire and seemed to be scanning the darkness outside the camp. Was he a bodyguard or something? Prompto seemed the type to be there just because he was a nice guy. He had been quite helpful to her, practically running to get her food for her and generally being bubbly and joking with everyone. The one called Noct was hard to place. They seemed to defer to him a lot on things, but then they had all but given him orders during their "rescue" mission. He too had asked if she was ok and had pledged any assistance he could offer. All and all, they seemed very nice, and also didn't seem to know what to do with her. They were all huddled by the cooking area, but kept glancing her way as if unsure whether sitting by the fire would be encroaching on her "maidenly sensibilities".

"I don't have cooties you know," she said finally. "There are 3 more chairs here. You are welcome to join me."

They trooped over, slowly.

"Thanks for the invitation, but were merely trying to come up with a tactful way of asking you what brought you out here. You didn't answer before," Ignis reminded her.

How much of the story should she tell? She had to know what she was up against before saying anything. She knew for a fact that Ignis was a glaive so to admit she was imperial would be a very bad idea.

"Are all of you glaives," she finally asked.

"Well 3 of us are, except for Prince Noctis here," Prompto responded. The other 3 looked at each other shaking their heads.

"So much for travelling incognito," Noctis said resignedly.

Delenda nearly fell out of her chair in shock. She had really gone from the frying pan to the fire on this one. They were all looking at her expectantly.

"How much do you know about current events in Insomnia," she asked finally.

"We left just after the wedding was proposed," Noctis said. "In fact, I'm on the way to meet my intended in Alt—a neutral location."

"Then you haven't heard then, well then, I fear I have some upsetting news for you…"

She thought she did quite well, explaining the attack objectively without breaking down. She had also weathered their ruthless interrogation after. She chose to omit the fact that she was imperial, and also kept out her arrest and escape. She didn't want them to know that part, not ever. This also necessitated claiming she was dressed up for one of the various peace parties going on in the city and not a royal function. Lies begetting lies, she thought sadly. Ignis was obviously the interrogator of the group. Where she could see the others beginning to fall apart in grief and horror, he stayed coolly logical and was relentless in his questioning. She was getting disturbing flashbacks to Lazurus's interrogation.

"Just one more question, Miss Achilleus, how did you get this," so saying, he softly touched the side of her face, exactly where she had been struck.

He hadn't hurt her, but she jerked away as if his hand were electrified. "I fell flat on my face during the escape," she said tersely.

He studied her intently, and she fought the urge to squirm. Her first impression had been right. He was definitely not an easy man to fool. Had he identified the gaps in her story? Gaps that could lead to him finding out the truth about her? His survey was mercifully interrupted.

"Don't be an idiot, Noct," Gladio interrupted.

"I've got to go back. I've got to see what happened."

"And how far do you think you will get? Did you forget that there are giants out there, or do you still think you are strong enough to hunt them," Gladio asked snidely.

"Wait, cool it guys," Prompto contributed to the conversation.

"Calm down, all of you," Ignis snapped, which seemed to stop everyone cold. "Even if we went tonight we wouldn't be able to see anything, and could even end up in an ambush. We need full daylight to make the best of our sojourn. We should rest up tonight and leave at first light. That will allow us to be better prepared for any 'imperial entanglements' as well."

The party reluctantly agreed. Noctis was set to stay up all night until Gladio threatened to knock him unconscious if he tried. Noctis then went to his tent amid angry grumbling. Gladio offered his tent to Delenda, saying he would be guarding the camp all night since he couldn't trust "some pretty-boy idiot to not decide to wander off."

Prompto was the only one who went to bed without protest. While she appreciated Gladio's offer, Delenda didn't want to make use of the tent, mostly because she knew she wouldn't be able to get up. Her feet were done. At this rate, she couldn't walk for days. She couldn't see how bad they were, but she could feel it.

"You should rest. The light seals on the side will keep the Daemons away and Gladio's tent is really quite clean, I assure you." Ignis said gently.

"I'm sure it is, but I'm perfectly comfortable in this chair."

"Permit me a moment," and to her surprise Ignis leaned forward and picked up one of her feet. She was too shocked to pull away or react.

"Just what I thought. Those shoes of yours are not equipped for a situation like this. Just a moment." He left and returned with a green bottle and a bowl.

"This is a bottle of potion. Soak your feet in this for 30 minutes or so and they should be right as rain. There's nothing we can do about your shoes yet, unfortunately, but at least your feet will be healed. And after that, go to bed."

It worked. 30 minutes later, she was able to stand up, stiffly but not painfully, and make her way to the vacant tent, where she crashed into mercifully dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Desperate Times and Measures

**Hi Everyone! I'm back from vacation. Here is the next installment. This a long chapter, and not much action, but Delenda's secrets are starting to catch up to her. Thanks so much for the follows/favs/comments. I'd give all of you a cookie if I could ;-) Hope you like where the story is going from here.**

* * *

"Wake up, please, Delenda…"

"Um, I think it's rude to call a woman by her first name without permission, Prompto. You remember Iris had a fit the first time you did that?"

Delenda sat up groggily. It took her a minute to remember where she was, then she lurched up as soon as she remembered.

"Oh good, you're up _ma'am_ ," Prompto said with a pointed look to Gladio. "Here is some breakfast for you. It's not much, but we need to be on the road quickly."

Delenda looked down at the ebony and toast. "What is the plan, if I may ask?"

"Well", Gladio said, "we can't waste our time, so you will need to come with us to Insomnia. After that, we will see about getting you somewhere safe."

Her shoulders slumped. "I fear I will hold you up. As you can see, I'm not dressed for the walk back there."

"Walk? We don't need to do that," Prompto said. "We have an awesome car. Cindy souped it up for us. Ah Cindy…" It was apparent that Prompto was infatuated with this mechanic, whoever she was.

There was a car as promised, parked on the roadside near the camp. It was sleek, black, and obviously expensive. Delenda just hoped it was built for comfort.

In full daylight, she got her first good look at her rescuers. Noctis was dressed all in black. Black boots, black cargo pants, black tee shirt. Delenda had met types like this before in high school and had been a little afraid of them. She had grown out of that though and now saw them for what they were: immature kids who were trying to rebel. Noctis gave her that impression as well, although he seemed to hide it better than most.

Gladio, she had to admit, was intimidating. He accented his size and bulk with black pants and a black shirt that he kept open, showing off his muscles, scars, and tattoos. She didn't like "alpha" males, but his gruff shyness around her kept him from going over the line in that way. She also heard in passing that he had a sister, making her think of him more of a man with a family than as a rough bully.

Prompto dressed similarly to Noctis except that he wore a black tank top and vest. If he wasn't so bubbly and friendly, she would have had the same impression of him as she did Noctis.

Ignis was dressed much the same way as when she first saw him. Of all of them, he seemed the most put-together, which was even more amazing seeing as they were in the middle of the desert. She had to admit, if she were ranking them based on their fashion sense, Ignis would win. She shook her head ruefully at her line of thinking.

She couldn't help looking down at her ragged blue dress and worn shoes. She definitely didn't fit in with the group. She was like a fragile butterfly flying around with a swarm of bats. She hoped she could find a change of clothes soon.

They insisted that she ride shotgun. They said it was because it was more comfortable than being stuffed in the back with Gladio and Noctis, but she suspected it was a chivalry thing. She sat in the front, next to Ignis who was doing the driving. It was a silent trip as the miles rewound. She saw the landmarks that she recognized from yesterday, and the same lack of civilization. They stopped the car when you could see Insomnia on the horizon. The destroyed buildings were visible even at this distance.

"It would appear that you are correct, Miss Achilleus" Ignis said grimly.

If she thought the ride was quiet before, it was nothing compared to the remainder of the trip. The entire party became grim, cold, intense. She was reminded full well that they were royals and glaives and that she was, on paper anyway, their enemy.

They parked near the tollbooth near the entrance to the city.

"Please, stay here, Miss Achilleus. We shall return after we complete our surveillance of the situation. There is water in the boot if you need any," Ignis instructed. Then the 4 of them were off, leaving her alone.

It was a lonely vigil. Delenda thought she would be seeing more ships, more guards that she would need to hide from. However, it was silent. Was all the activity still in town or did the empire decide to abandon everything as soon as they destroyed the city? Either idea was disturbing. As the morning advanced, the heat became increasingly intense. Delenda kept scanning the horizon for their return, but even that became hazier as it shimmered in the heat. She began to worry. What if something had happened to them? What if they didn't come back? She knew for a fact how lonely this stretch of road was and that she would have to get a move on if she wanted to try to reach civilization before dark. If she waited too long, she would be stuck in darkness again, and this time the monsters would kill her.

She was just about to start walking when they returned, practically running to the car. She didn't ask what they had seen, but she could tell from the horrified looks on their faces that they had seen enough. Ignis turned the car around deftly, and they were on their way, she knew not where.

Prompto finally broke the tense silence.

"We don't know for sure that His Majesty was killed," he said tentatively.

"I think we know enough," Noctis said, his voice raw. "Do you really think my father would have retreated with all of that going on? And as Delenda told us, the crystal was taken. He would d-die, before he would have let them grab it."

"We need more intelligence before we can draw any sort of conclusion," Ignis said decisively. "We are close to Galdin Quay. We should be able to hear some news there. With luck, we will find out what happened to his Majesty and Luna. We can also grab the ferry to Altissia from there."

Luna! Delenda remembered. She had kept quiet about that part since it opened too many dangerous doors, but she knew she should say something since the last she had seen her condition was dire, indeed. She didn't want them blindsided anymore. But what could she say? There was no way she could tell them that she had seen Luna without revealing everything else.

"I fear for Luna as well," she said finally. "I—heard rumors that she was in the city right before the attack. I don't know if she made it out before everything happened." There, she had said as much of the truth as she could. "What an honest citizen," she thought of herself scathingly. She was becoming as much of a master of lies as her former boss.

She had to admit, Galdin Quay was a sight for sore eyes after the endless desert. To capitalize on the crystal clear ocean waters, and the powdery sand beaches, they had built a lavish seaside resort and restaurant. The ocean breezes were heavenly after the scalding heat of the desert. People were looking at her funny—they undoubtedly found it strange that a woman with a tattered evening dress was in the company of 4 sharp-dressed men. She hoped they didn't think she was some kind of floozy.

Her comrades made a bee line to the resort, most likely to pick up information. She made her way to the nearest shop to hopefully find new clothes and shoes. Her luck was in, sort of. All they had was beachwear, so she found herself some stout sandals, shorts and a t shirt. From socialite to beach bum, she thought as she changed her clothes. She threw out her dress and shoes with extreme prejudice. She would have burnt them if she could. Now that she was more comfortable, she had to think about next steps.

Her rescuers would probably leave her here, not that she could blame them—their path was different than hers. Her money was tight—she had spent most of what she had left on clothes. And there was no way in hell she was using Ardyn's credit card. Hopefully the resort had jobs available? Still, before she did anything, she needed to formally thank Ignis and his friends and say good bye. They had saved her after all, and were going through hell.

She made her way through the restaurant to the pier. There was usually a ferry running from here to Altissia, but it wasn't here. Her comrades were though, so at least she could say farewell to all 4 together. Then she saw the man step out from behind the sign. Despite the mild ocean breezes, the man was wearing the same heavy cloak and fedora as always. Delenda thought she would vomit. What was that asshole doing here? Before she could even think about hiding, Ardyn walked up even with her. He gave her an assessing glance, then glanced between her and Noctis's team, rose a single eyebrow, tipped his hat, and moved along.

Did he know she had come here with them? Why hadn't he said anything? She was too drained to think about his motives right now. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard, feeling like she would have a panic attack.

"Are you all right, Miss Achilleus," Ignis asked.

"Oh, it's, it's just the heat. I will be ok in a minute."

He regarded her suspiciously, but guided her to the nearest bench so she could collect herself and asked Prompto to get her a glass of water. He rushed to comply, an eager puppy as always.

She wanted to be alone to calm down. Why had she just stood there frozen? She should have smacked Ardyn in the face, demanded answers. Now she had to play the swooning maiden succumbing to the heat when she just needed a moment to collect herself.

"So, the ferry to Altissia is out…" Noctis said.

"So it would seem," Ignis said. "We might as well stay here for the time being—we need the evening edition of the paper to come out to see if they mention anything further."

"We're just supposed to sit here," Noctis responded, surly.

"Well, there's a fishing hole…" Prompto teased.

"I can't fish at a time like this," Noctis said as a matter of course, but his tone was wistful.

"I bet they have big fish in there…not that you can catch them," Prompto taunted.

"Ok, you're on," Noctis snapped back, and they walked purposefully down the pier.

"I take it you are feeling more the thing," Ignis asked Delenda. She nodded. "The new clothes should help I think. They look-much more comfortable," he said, surveying her.

"I assume this is where we part ways? You have brought me to safety, and I am really quite grateful—"

"We dragged you around on our quest most of today, so the least we can do is handle your lodging for one more night. There is a campsite a short way down the beach. If you are comfortable spending another night with us, you are welcome to join us. You would have your own tent again, of course."

She sighed. She couldn't hang onto them forever, but logically she wouldn't be able to afford lodging here on her own just yet. She would have to mooch one more night. In the morning she would talk to any of the business owners here and try to negotiate a job in exchange for board.

She made her way down to the campsite. Gladio was already there setting up. He didn't seem surprised to see her. She could see Noctis and Prompto on the pier, still fishing. Due to their animated gestures and playful buffets she could tell they were having a great time despite everything that had happened. Sometimes normalcy was what you needed to keep from going mad with worry. For a lack of anything better to do, she helped set up the lawn chairs, and any random camp setup that Gladio would let her do. They worked together in silence. Once that was done, he meandered his way down to the pier, leaving her alone. She sat in the lawn chair, admiring the sunset over the ocean, trying not to think about what tomorrow would bring. Still, it had to better than yesterday, or the day before.

"Care to explain this, Miss Achilleus," Ignis cut into her reverie, his voice cold and deadly. He was holding a newspaper in his hand and he was pointing at an article. An article featuring her picture with a headline "Imperial Diplomat Attacks Lady Lunafreya, Sabotages Peace Efforts."

* * *

The jig was up. Delenda had been found out. She behaved purely on instinct. She leapt out of her chair, all set to run, when Ignis grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip. All she saw was another glaive trying to hurt her like the fiend in the interrogation room. She struggled, trying to pull away, and when he still held firmly, she tried to kick him in a sensitive spot. He threw an arm around her waist, turned her around so her back was towards him, then pulled her back against him.

"Please don't make me harm you. I don't want to if I don't have to," he said quietly, almost beseechingly.

She didn't know if it was the tone of his voice that stopped her struggling, or just the cold fact that he was stronger than she was and that for the moment, escape was impossible. She slumped, giving up the struggle.

"That's better, Delenda," he said dulcetly. I'm not going to hurt you. Just please answer my questions."

The others hurried over, having seen the uncharacteristic struggle. Ignis waved them off. They were confused, but obeyed, grabbing the abandoned newspaper to catch up on the news and walked down the beach.

"Was that wise," Delenda felt compelled to ask, after she had caught her breath. "After all, according to you, I'm an imperial monster who attacked Lady Luna. You may need all the backup you can get to defend yourself."

"Seeing as your first move was to try to run from me rather than attack me, I think I'm safe in that regard. Besides, I am perfectly capable of defending myself alone if necessary. Now, please explain yourself," he commanded.

He was still holding her. She was very aware of him behind her, more than she wanted to be.

"If you let me go, I will tell you everything."

He released her immediately, but she was under no illusion. He was wary, alert. If she tried anything else, he would grab her again.

"Thanks. Can I also ask that you not hurt me regardless of what I tell you." She didn't like the plaintive note of her voice, but it would have to do.

"As long as you tell me the truth this time, you will be fine. And I know you've been lying already—"

"I have been telling you the truth."

"Half-truths, maybe. I suggest you don't do that anymore. I will find out anyway and it won't go well for you if you try."

She sighed. She had been given more assurances than she deserved and could realistically request. She told him everything. He was a relentless questioner, even more so than he had been the previous evening. His gaze was piercing, looking for any tells, any indications that she was lying. She told him all, knowing at this point she had nothing to lose. What happened to her after that was up to him.

"I admit this story fits the circumstances a lot better."

"So, you believe me?"

"I'm not sure yet. I shall present your testimony to the others and determine what to do with you. Don't venture off. If you decide to do so, please remember that you may run into a Daemon before we catch you," he said darkly.

She believed him. Even if she ran off and a monster did not get her, they had a car, the mighty Regalia, while she would be on foot. They would catch up to her laughably easily. She was trapped here, at their mercy, while they figured out what to do with her.

* * *

The newspaper also disclosed King Regis's deadly fate. Noctis stormed off down the beach, anger concealing pain and sadness. Prompto wanted to go to him, but Gladio told him tersely to leave Noctis alone.

"So, do you believe her," Gladio asked Ignis.

"Up to a point. I do believe she is innocent of attacking Lady Lunafreya. From what we have seen of this Ardyn 'gentleman', it seems plausible that he could have set her up as she claims. And Luche Lazurus obviously questioned her as she says. That bruise on her face has his name all over it," he said with disgust.

"That man is a disgrace to the Kingsglaive name," Gladio agreed. "I've always made sure to keep Iris away from him."

"Good plan that," Ignis responded. "However, regardless of what I think, Delenda was still in town just before the peace treaty was announced. In fact, I was talking to her as I got the summons to the Citadel to support this mission. We only know she had just arrived to the city because she says so. She could have been there a lot longer, infiltrating or spying. Diplomats, unfortunately, cannot be trusted. And I saw her getting out of Ardyn's car."

"So, what do we do with her," Gladio asked.

"She may be useful to us. We are still fighting the empire after all so she would be an invaluable source of intelligence. There's the saying, keep your friends close and enemies closer…"

"And if she chooses to betray us?"

"We are Kingsglaive. We are more than capable of handling her."

"Um, guys," Prompto cut in hesitantly. "She is with Noctis right now."

Their gazes all flew down the beach to see that Prompto was right.

* * *

Delenda saw Noctis storm down the beach, the raw pain and loss in his face. She had felt that pain twice before in her life, when she had found out that each of her parents had died. She hadn't read the newspaper, but she knew in her heart that King Regis had been killed in the battle. It was unfair. She had only spoken to him for a minute or two, but he had seemed like the ideal king, noble, wise, even humble, unlike her unapproachable, arrogant ruler. Of the 2 of them, it was horribly unfair that the "better" one had died.

She knew everyone said it was better to "be alone for awhile" in scenarios like this, but that was the whole problem. When someone died you found out how alone you were, and being left alone to grieve just made it worse. She wasn't a good counselor—extreme emotions always made her feel awkward, but she couldn't let Noctis endure it on his own. Forgetting that she was now known to be their enemy, she hurried over to where Noctis was standing.

He was staring at the nighttime surf, seemingly oblivious to the waves hitting his clunky red-soled shoes, as though the ocean would give him the solace he sought. The ocean dwarfed him, making him look small—a child thrown into the big, scary world unprotected.

"I know words are cheap, especially coming from me, but I'm so, so sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry too. I'm now a king without a country," Noctis said bitterly.

So her intuition had been right. "I know what it's like to lose loved ones. Both parents. My father was killed in battle 2 years ago." She took a deep breath. "He was a colonel in the imperial army."

He turned quickly to look at her. "I was part of the imperial delegation," she said. "I can swear to you that I had no notion what they were planning, but you have no reason to believe me. I can only say that I know part of what you are going through right now and that being alone makes it worse. Lean on Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. The power of friendship may sound cliché, but it does help."

It was advice and a resource she wished she had had. She had had no one. Some of her classmates had tried reaching out after her father died, but she had not wanted to burden them with her problems. Her brother had turned to his science experiments, so she had been left alone, to suffer until she worked through the 5 stages of grief on her own.

The others hurried over. She remembered that they knew she was a potential enemy and she had just accosted their king. Did they think she was going to kill him, she thought, appalled at the very idea.

"Hey guys, did you know she's from the Empire," Noctis asked them.

"I guess we don't need a tactful way of telling you that, then," Gladio responded.

Noctis looked away again, attempting to calm down. Then he sighed and said. "Ok. What have I missed?"

* * *

It was Delenda's turn to stare at the ocean, pondering her fate. The others had closed ranks, wandering somewhere out of her hearing, discussing her case, and what they were going to do with her. She thought again about escaping—she shouldn't just wait meekly here until they decided to interrogate, torture, or kill her. However, she was curiously resigned to her fate. Even though she had had no knowledge of what the Empire was doing, she was still part of it. If they wanted to use her as a scapegoat for what had happened, she couldn't complain.

"How noble of me," she thought scathingly. She just didn't want to wander off, be torn apart by monsters, and die alone. If she was going to die, it was going to be by the hand of humans.

"So you decided not to run off," Ignis commented. She shook her head. She noticed the others were standing a discreet distance away but each standing in a different location, surrounding her. She tensed up, but remained silent. She couldn't find the words to ask what their plans were for her.

"It really was quite fortunate that we crossed paths. It's not often that we get an imperial noble in our midst, let alone one who is close to the Imperial Chancellor."

"If you think I know all sorts of secrets, you are mistaken. I was just a secretary and was kept in the dark on everything. You probably don't believe me, but I knew nothing about the planned attack."

"I appreciate your honesty. However, admitting that you don't know much to your enemies who may only be keeping you alive due to what you know is not a good strategy."

"So you are planning on _killing_ me?" Despite the fact that she was half expecting it, she couldn't keep the horror out of her voice.

"Of course not. We have no intention of harming you. I was merely teaching you some finer points of strategy."

She had had enough. "So what do you want from me?"

"Even if, as you say, you don't know much, by virtue of being who you are, you still know significantly more than we do on imperial doings. You will travel with us for the foreseeable future, and provide us with any information we ask of you."

"And what would you be doing with this information?"

"I think that should be obvious. We will fight back."

4 guys against the empire. Were they mad?

"I apologize if you feel we are making you betray your people, but desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say," Ignis added.

She thought about her homeland, how cold, empty, and soulless it had been becoming even before this. She thought of her father, who had given his life in an endless, largely pointless war. She thought of her brother who was slowly letting the concept of magitek technology consume him. She remembered what the empire had done to Insomnia, and what Ardyn had done to her. She had no loyalty left to them. She would be happy to give all she knew. But she didn't want to be Noctis's hostage, supporting his friends due to Stockholm Syndrome, either.

"And if I refuse?"

"Nothing. We won't force you to come with us. However, as far as everyone knows, you were the one who sabotaged the peace efforts, which means you won't be welcome anywhere once someone recognizes you. Right now we are the only ones who can protect you. You travel with us and provide us information when we require it, and in exchange we protect you. I think you can agree that's a fair trade?"

He was right. Her picture had been in the paper—it was only a matter of time until somebody recognized her. Since she had "sabotaged the peace efforts", she would not be welcome here or the empire. Her only chance was with them

"You know that's not much of a choice, right?"

"Between a rock, and hard place, indeed," Ignis said with regret.

"How do you know I won't betray you? After all I 'hurt Luna and sabotaged peace'"?

"Well, seeing as the same newspaper said Noct was killed in the attack and we know that is a lie, it is quite plausible that what they are saying about you is erroneous as well. We are willing to chance it, given the intelligence you may provide us. And it goes without saying that any betrayal on your part will not go well for you," Ignis ended darkly, a decided threat.

"You've made your point. But if the same paper said King Regis is gone than maybe it's not true?"

"Perhaps, but given this fact, what happened to Insomnia, and the fact that you saw the crystal, the lifeblood of our kingdom taken, I'm forced to believe that part is true," Ignis said gravely.

Delenda sighed. "What imperial secrets do you want first?"


	5. Chapter 5: Human Element in Battle

**Hi All! Here's the next installment. Finally, a little bit of action and Delenda/Ignis bonding. Hope you like it! Just so you know, I do have the story pretty much done. My pet peeve is stories that don't have an ending, so I do plan on posting the whole thing so it doesn't have that little problem. Not sure if anyone will stick with me till the end of it, but if you are keeping an eye on it, there is a planned ending eventually ;-) I still have quite a bit left, so stay tuned if you are still interested! Thanks for the feedback as always.**

* * *

The imperial base was an eyesore. The barbed wire fence around it, the concrete buildings, there was nothing imposing or impressive about it. It was just a fenced-in set of buildings, founded as Delenda knew to be the holding bin for troops and supplies coming from across the ocean. "A supply line, we would do well to cut," as Ignis said.

The fence was not electrified or guarded. Gladio whacked a hole in the fence using his giant sword and they squeezed their way through. Delenda had no clue how Gladio could carry that sword without breaking his back, but he managed fine. They needed to get to the top of the guard tower to get a vantage point of the fort, but there were two magitek guards patrolling.

"I've got this," Noctis said, ready to warp forward and strike them, but Delenda restrained him with a frantic "Wait!"

"The empire no longer uses human guards. They use magitek soldiers as their ground units. They are robots who are trained to kill anyone they are ordered to, even allies," Delenda said.

"Cool!" Prompto said excitedly. "That means we don't have to feel bad about taking down as many as possible." He readied his pistol.

"Wait," Gladio said. "They don't have any human soldiers anymore?"

"The commanders are human. They are the ones that feed the orders to the robots."

"Did your father happen to be one," Gladio asked.

"No, I remember him complaining about the proposition, saying that you still needed the human element in battle, but they didn't switch to it until after he—only for the past year or so I think."

"So what happens if we take out the human commanders," Noctis asked.

Delenda tried to remember everything her brother and father had told her, just to come up dry. "I honestly don't know. I guess maybe they will just revert to whatever their last order was?"

"That would mean it would be in our best interest to take out the human commanders first. If they are gone, then the remaining forces will be confused at the very least," Ignis chimed in.

"We still need that guard tower though. Even I'm not idiotic enough to go rushing in there blind," Noctis said. "How do we kill these things?"

"You've got to get them from behind. They have a 180 degree line of sight in front of them, but they are blind to everything behind them. Unlike humans, they don't have the 6th sense of detecting somebody's behind them. Unless they've perfected that recently." Delenda remembered her brother lamenting their "flaw" a few months ago. He was trying to come up with some way where their heads could go all the way around and still be functional.

"Stealth takedown then, Noct" Gladio said tersely.

"What if they see me?"

"If you are strong, fast, and lucky, you can still get them. It's just a lot more dangerous…" Delenda tapered off as Noctis warped away. A few seconds later both robots were down, never having seen what hit them.

They made their way to the base of the tower. "You're in fine form Noct, keep it up," was all Ignis said.

It was a good thing they had studied the fort from above first as the fort also had battle mechs.

"Those are bad news. They are incredibly dangerous. They didn't even have these in the Insomnia attack. Why are they here now," Delenda asked aloud.

"Perhaps they are building up their offensive capabilities far away from the homeland," Ignis volunteered.

"But why, they already conquered—" Delenda stopped. It was just as she had told Ardyn long ago—even if they held Lucis they couldn't keep it. They were anticipating Lucis fighting back so needed a stronger army to counteract it.

"Guys. I'm telling you, this is very dangerous. You saved my life once, so now I'm doing the same to you. Please reconsider this. Come back with more people. Those mechs…"

"What do you know about them," Ignis asked calmly.

"They're huge. You can't grasp the scale from up here. Both humans and magitek troops can ride in them. They use guns and bombs, not blades, so getting up close would be suicide. And as a final insult, they are programmed to explode if they take enough damage."

"Weaknesses," Gladio asked.

"I don't know. I've never been this close to one. I'm telling you, the best option is to avoid entirely."

"Well I have a gun, I can pick them off from a distance," Prompto said smugly.

"With the armor on those things I doubt it," Gladio said. And you're kind of weak. One tiny bitch slap from that thing would knock you out."

"Hey," exclaimed Prompto.

Ignis was scanning them, sizing them up. "They appear pretty top-heavy. I wager some damage to the legs will knock them over quite effectively. The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"That assumes you can get close enough without the bombs getting you," Delenda said, getting increasingly frustrated. Were they really thinking of committing suicide like this?

"I can warp in close and whack those things," Noctis said confidently.

"With your speed, you might want to draw their fire so Gladio and I can get close and attack the legs. Prompto, you keep a safe distance and try to whittle them down with bullets and toss potions our way as needed. It goes without saying that we should focus our efforts on one at a time."

"With them out of the way, the commanders should be a cakewalk," Prompto exclaimed.

"Sounds like a plan, let's do this," Noctis said, revved up by his standards.

"Wait, guys," Delenda said desperately.

Ignis turned to her. "I appreciate your concern, but we have to try. I have left the keys in the glove compartment of the Regalia. If we don't come back, the car and everything in it is yours."

And with that the 4 of them sped off, leaving her staring after them, convinced she was sending them to their death.

* * *

Delenda's "adventure" as that snake of an Ardyn had called it, involved a lot of her just standing around waiting, doing nothing. But when one couldn't fight, and just had their wits, such as they were, what other options did they have? She watched the quartet engage the mechs, just a passive spectator. Except she knew what she was watching was dangerous, deadly, like the gladiator matches of old. She wanted to help them. Maybe there was a stray gun here she could use? But she had never used one, and the distance was too far for her to do anything unless she was a trained sniper. She didn't want them to die. She supposed it was because she was dependent on them, but there was more to it than that. She actually liked them. She envied their easy camaraderie and the bond that they shared. They had each others' backs unquestioningly, which is something she never had. She didn't want that bond shattered.

She could just watch helplessly, willing them to succeed, like a meek little mouse. If they got through this, she would ask them to teach her to fight. She didn't want to be like this. Although, they would probably have reservations about giving her weapons…

She watched, in shock as first one mech went down, then another. Soon the whole fort was in confusion. They had done what they set out to do: take down the mechs and the commanders. It had taken only 4 guys to do it? Maybe her father had been right, the human element was required.

She met them at the base of the tower. They were jubilant. Prompto was humming some kind of victory theme. "Are you all right," Ignis asked her.

"Me?" Was he an idiot? He was the one risking his life, not her, and now he was asking if she was ok?

That was how "phase one" of their little operation went. They travelled around eastern Lucis, identifying bases. Delenda would provide whatever information she could upfront, then they would scan the forts from the guard tower and make their move. In between, they would camp. Once she had solidly proven her loyalty, they bought her her own sleeping bag and tent. That meant the others didn't have to come up with convenient excuses as to why she should have their tent for the night while they stayed awake or outside.

She found they all had their respective roles at the camp. Ignis always cooked—he refused to let anyone else do it in fact. Prompto, Noctis, and Gladio carried the camp gear from the car. Gladio set up the camp. Noctis would go to the nearest fishing hole to try to catch them fish for dinner. "What a painful chore," Gladio always muttered when Noctis ran off, fishing pole in hand, childlike excitement on his face. Prompto, well, he "protected" his prince while he was fishing, i.e. he stood there with him mocking him whenever he caught a minnow.

Delenda settled on dish cleaning duty, seeing as Ignis seemed to get stuck with that chore as well. He still didn't relinquish his duty fully though, insisting that he dry the dishes after she wash them.

After the events of the day, her last act was always washing dishes with Ignis, dishtowel in hand, beside her. Sometimes it was done in companionable silence, but most of the time they talked. He heard about her life in Gralea, laughed at her scathing critique of some of the more eccentric nobles she had met. She heard about his past. He had not been born in Insomnia, but had been forced to settle there as a refugee when the empire had attacked his town in a long-ago failed effort to infiltrate Lucis. That explained why his accent was different than the others. She found out he had learned how to cook from his mother, who had taught him at an early age.

"Did your mother ever say, 'eat this you will feel better' when you were upset," Delenda asked him once.

"Well, I remember one time she was baking a cake when I ran in after having been bullied. I was, well, crying, and she just handed me the beaters to lick. The cake was excellent, I remember that. Does that count?"

"Yeah I think so," Delenda said with a smirk.

It was in these unguarded conversations that she got to know Ignis better than the others. He was not a glaive, or a Lucian in these moments. She could temporarily forget that they were brought together through war and were on opposite sides. She was completely herself with him which was shocking when she thought about it. But it felt freeing, to be open and herself and not be judged. He seemed to be responding in kind, but then again he was very cautious, so it was hard to say what he really thought or felt. She trusted him though. He could easily manipulate the conversations to his advantage to squeeze out more intel or make her feel like an enemy, but he never did. Dishwashing duty became the highlight of her day.

* * *

Another part of the quartet, now quintet's, routine was hunting. They needed it to pay the bills as Noctis said. Sometimes they would just drive goods from place to place, but that didn't pay as much as hunting did. That was actually why they had been nearby to rescue Delenda when she first met them. They had decided to hunt the giant that had been about to attack her, but realized real quick that they were in over their heads. Their attacks on the bases had held them in good stead though—now they were strong enough and well-aligned as a team that they could take out monsters of that ilk if needed.

Except for Delenda. She had asked them for spare weapons and if they could teach her to fight and they had steadfastly objected. "We didn't bring you here to risk your life fighting," Ignis has said firmly. "Yeah, if our imperial expert gets taken down in battle, we would be totally screwed," Prompto had added. She still didn't know if it was because they didn't trust her or if it was some kind of male bravado, a "we don't need a girl to fight for us," kind of thing. It pissed her off, but as usual her options were limited.

She had finally gotten herself what she deemed to be "acceptable" clothes. She supposed she sort of matched the team, but it was not her intent. She had to agree that black jeans were the most practical as they didn't show dirt or dust as easily. Boots were also a must to walk through the harsh terrain. Since they had to match her pants, she ended up with black boots as well. She also needed a jacket for the cold desert nights, so she settled on a red corduroy bolero jacket. Whatever souvenir tee shirts she could find to wear underneath completed her ensemble. When she first wore it, Ignis sized her up and said, "those clothes should help you weather the elements." She supposed it was a compliment by his standards.

Prompto immortalized her outfit with photos. Delenda learned early on that Prompto loved taking photos of the group and of the unique things they saw on their journey. He had shyly asked her if he could take her picture the first time, but after she agreed she got her picture taken as often as the rest of the team. She wasn't as photogenic as the others, but Prompto did have a good eye, and managed to get pretty good pictures of her.

Having cleared the eastern forts, they were making their way west. Arrival in Duscae greeted them with a rainstorm. Delenda realized how long it had been since she had seen rain. They hurried to put the top up on the Regalia, but she welcomed the dousing.

"Look at the chocobos," Prompto exclaimed, "come on, let's stop here and say hello."

"Need more inspiration for your hairstyle," Gladio asked him.

It was the first time Delenda had noticed that Prompto's hair looked like a chocobo's butt and she started laughing.

"I suppose we should stop here. We need petrol anyway," Ignis said.

The rain had stopped, but the air was still muggy. The residual rain was hanging on the surrounding surfaces as crystal droplets, and periodically plopping onto the miffed chocobo's backs. Noctis winced as a particularly large drop slipped off the gutter of the chocobo trading post building, landing right on the back of his neck.

"Afternoon folks," the jolly proprietor greeted as they entered the building. "You look like hunters, you here to help us out?"

Noctis was all ears. "Maybe. What do you have for us?"

"Welp, there's this monster coming around attacking our chocobos. Be mighty fine if some hunters like yourself could take care of that for us. You'd be paid of course."

"You mean there's something out there eating those adorable chocobos," Prompto asked, horrified.

"I'll say. A particularly nasty brute too. Only fair to warn you."

"We'll see what we can do," Noctis said.

"We're totally going after that thing, right," Prompto asked Noctis as soon as they got back outside.

"Well, I dunno. Chocobos really are dumb. Not sure why we should take time out of our busy schedules to help them," Noctis replied, clearly teasing Prompto.

"Oh come on, man. We could totally use the money, and maybe they will let us pet and ride the chocobos whenever we want," Prompto wheedled.

"The proprietor said the beast's lair is a short drive from here. Let's check it out," Ignis said decisively, obviously tired of Noctis stringing Prompto along.

The woods closed in claustrophobically against the road as they got closer to its hideout.

"This is far as we can go. We need to do the rest on foot," Ignis said. "Delenda, kindly keep watch on the car for us, we won't be long."

No, this was not happening again.

"Give me a gun and I can come along and help you guys," Delenda said firmly. It's not like she had used a gun before but how hard could it be? Just point and shoot and be able to help from a distance. No offense to Prompto, but if a kind doofus like him could use one, she should have no problem.

"Have you ever used one before," Ignis asked, cutting right to the point.

"Well no, but—"

"Now is not the time for you to learn, then. Stay here. We won't be long,"

And with that, they were off, leaving Delenda alone again, fuming.

* * *

What, did they think she was a dog that would be pacified with a pat to the head and a "guard the car while I go in the store?" Chivalry was all well and good, unless it put you in so high an ivory tower that you couldn't do anything ever.

They wanted her to guard the car, did they? Fine. She opened the trunk to find the weapons cache. It was on top of the camping gear, a box containing lances (in pieces to assemble), daggers, pistols/ammo, potions, and glowing glass vials. She remembered them saying these vials housed fire, ice, and lightning energy—the proverbial magic that the glaives could wield. She avoided these like the plague, picking one easy-to-use-looking pistol.

"There. Just let some random set of car thieves come now," she thought. The light mist was becoming thicker as the shadows lengthened, turning into a full-blown fog. She couldn't see more than a few feet around the car in any direction, which was making her uneasy. She was alone in this fog-enclosed world. Just her and the car.

It was getting dark. It was hard to tell how late it was with the fog, but it was getting too dim to see. They still weren't back. At this rate, the monsters would be coming out. Should she go look for her comrades? It was a bad idea to leave the car though—in this weather she could get lost and at least at the car she had shelter and supplies. Except the Regalia may not be safe, either. Ignis was very wary about driving after dark, so obviously the car couldn't do much against monsters. Still, she would sooner that than be outside.

She continued her vigil, much more nervous than before. She began to hear the groaning—it was much more distorted in the fog than it had been in the desert, but it was distinguishable. The Daemons were out and they were close. Her hand around the pistol butt began to sweat. Where were they? She couldn't tell their direction in the fog. She began twisting her head around, frantically, like some soon-to-be victim in a horror movie. She knew the monster would come from whatever direction she wasn't looking in. She even glanced above and below her to see if it was coming from there.

The shadowy demon figures came out of the fog, much closer to the car than she was anticipating. It was a group of imps by the looks of it. She was unaccountably relieved. The guys could take these things down practically in their sleep, so she should be able to do the same. There were a few of them though, so it may be tricky. She steadied the gun in both hands, pointed at the closest one, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The trigger didn't move. She stared at it blankly. What was wrong with it?

More imps were coming out of the fog, surrounding the car. At this rate, there would be too many and she would be attacked from behind. She had to get to the weapons cache and try something else. She leaped out of the car, half expecting an imp to grab her right away, and threw open the trunk. Guns were useless—she wouldn't try that again. The lances required assembly and she didn't have time to figure out how to put them together. The daggers would require her to be too close to the imps to do any damage. She didn't have Ignis's speed and agility to use them effectively. She stared at the vials of "magic". Could she use them? It was her only choice.

She grabbed the one on top. It was blue—did that mean ice? The imps were dangerously close. How did the vials work? Was she supposed to dump the contents on them, toss them like a grenade, put some of the contents on her hands then wave her hands at them? Option B seemed like the easiest one to try. With a quick prayer that this worked, she hurled the vial with all her might at the closest imp. The vial shattered, unleashing an ice storm that froze the imp in place. A few foot radius around the imp was also frozen, she noticed. Ok. This was working—she just had to make sure she was nowhere near the impact.

She grabbed the next one, red this time, and flung it at the next creature. She reasoned that it would spew fire. She just hoped it was a little more localized than the ice. It broke near the next imp, causing it to turn to a pillar of fire and disappear. The fire was spreading dangerously close to the car though-this wasn't good. She flung an ice vial at it and the fire vanished, turning to steam. Ok, she thought. Fire is a liability.

She grabbed a yellow one—must be lightning, and threw it at one coming up from behind. It created a lightning bolt of pinpoint accuracy, taking the imp down instantly. Ok. This one is more precise. She began tossing the red vials aside, as delicately as she could, and focused on the yellow ones. There were quite a few here, but would it be enough? Whatever, she thought defiantly. Once she was out of those she would go back to the ice and fire ones. If she had to toss these all night, she would.


	6. Chapter 6: Coming Up With a New Recipe

**Bonjour mes aimes! I have the next chapter ready to go! We've got some Ignis/Delenda fluff and other goodies ;-) This one is long, but I couldn't find a good place in the middle to break it up. Hope you don't mind! I'm shocked at the follow/favs I'm continuing to get (in an awesome way). You guys rock! I've seen that the email notifications aren't going out when things are updated. I'm not sure if it's fixed yet, but if anyone is interested, I will be happy to PM you with the link when the next installment comes out. If it's something you might be interested in, PM me and I will be happy to hook you up. Thanks for reading as always.**

* * *

It took Noctis and co longer than anticipated to take down the Deadeye, the behemoth chocobo eater. It had necessitated following it through a misty labyrinth of rocks, ever careful to avoid making too much noise and being sure to stay out of its line of sight. It was already late afternoon when they had finally located its lair, an abandoned warehouse. From here, they had to waste another few hours whittling it down while avoiding its deadly charges.

"You should try blowing up those flammable barrels with fire vials, Noct," Ignis instructed.

"And burn us all up? No way," Noctis snapped back, continuing to warp strike it whenever he could.

It took longer, but they were successful in the end.

"Damn, it got dark," Gladio said, looking around after the battle.

"Delenda," Ignis said sharply. "We must go back to the Regalia, immediately."

They saw the flashes of lightning as they got close. They saw Delenda at bay, tossing lightning vials at a seemingly endless horde of enemies. How long had she been at this? There was no time to question it. They ran forward, weapons at the ready, to offer assistance.

* * *

Delenda never thought she would see camp again, but they made it. The guys had spotted one on the way to the Deadeye and they all made their way back there, weapons at the ready for more monsters in the mist. Delenda had grabbed whatever magic vials she could carry. They were her only line of defense and she didn't want it taken away from her.

After they had all asked her, awkwardly, if she was ok, they had gone to their duties, studiously avoiding her. It appeared to be guilt, she thought. They must have known they had left her in danger and were now feeling bad about it. As well they should, she thought with a flare of anger. If they had supported her willingness to fight earlier, things would have been different.

It didn't stop her from her daily dish-washing routine though. She would take the high road and continue as before. Even though she wanted to fling a dish at Ignis's head for his remarks this afternoon.

Ignis came over, dishcloth in hand, to do his duties as usual.

"You should rest, Delenda. I will take care of the dishes tonight."

Being put on a pedestal again, Delenda thought. Not this time.

"I'm fine Ignis. Really."

"I'm sorry for this afternoon. I thought you would be safer at the car. I was wrong. If we had taken any longer I…" he broke off awkwardly. "I'm just glad you are unhurt, and quite resourceful, as it turns out," he added, a twinge of admiration in his tone if you squinted. "I see you went with the magic vials instead of the gun."

"I tried the gun at first, but the trigger didn't move."

"Did you click the safety off?"

Damn! The safety! She hadn't thought of that. "No…"

"I see. Guns actually are more difficult than people think. I myself couldn't master their intricacies which is why I stick to daggers and lances."

"Yet Prompto can…"

"Surprising isn't it? Underneath that thick, chocobo head of his, he is actually quite capable. Magic is no easier to pick up in fact, but you seem to have mastered it impressively quickly."

"I would hardly say, 'mastered'."

"Most people who attempt to use those vials without training end up immediately incinerated, frozen, or electrocuted to death," Ignis said flatly.

Delenda froze. She hadn't realized how dangerous those vials had been. If she had used them differently…

She dropped a dish in her shock, her hands suddenly shaking.

"Delenda!" Ignis started forward, ready to catch her in case she fainted or something. She rallied, enough to get to one of the lawn chairs.

"Put your head between your knees, take deep breaths," Ignis said firmly.

She did as instructed, needing the command in his voice to keep from falling apart. A few shaky breaths later, she was more the thing. Noctis placed a coat over her shoulders, Prompto was staring at her as though she had sprouted wings. Gladio figured Prompto's reaction wasn't doing her any good, so he dragged him away.

"Sorry, Ignis, King Noctis," she said shakily. "I'm sure all this is pretty mundane to you. It's silly for me to react this way after a battle. I'm fine now. Business as usual," she added with enforced brightness.

"We've had years to get used to it. You haven't," Noctis responded.

"The first battle is never easy," Ignis responded. "We have whole training regimens about how to prepare for it but it means nothing when it's first upon us. I remember I felt physically ill the first time I—disposed of someone in battle."

"I full on threw up," Noctis said. "Oh and please call me Noct. I couldn't care less about the king part."

"Don't let Gladio hear you say that last part," Ignis cautioned. "You know how he always reminds you about your role."

"Yeah, I know. But the point is, Delenda, what you are feeling right now isn't a weakness. We've all gone through it. Over time it gets better."

"And if it doesn't," she asked.

"Then that means maybe you aren't cut out for killing, which isn't a bad thing," Ignis responded. "It takes a certain type of person to be capable of killing with impunity, and to have fewer people in the world like ourselves is better."

Delenda thought about his words when she went to her tent that night. Despite how affable and human Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto were, they still saw themselves as killers. Had her father thought that of himself too? What did it take for them to decide to kill, and what stopped them from doing it during peacetime? Maybe she was a killer too. She had gone into shock at the notion she had nearly died today, not because of any guilt for having killed.

Maybe it was because her "victims" were monsters conventionally decided to be soulless? If they had been people, would it have been different? And who's to say the monsters didn't have souls anyway? Did the imps she killed have families out there in the darkness, who now were missing parents, siblings, or children? No. She didn't want to think of that. They had tried to kill her today, so it was a matter of kill or be killed. She would have to be able to do it again—she had to be able to defend herself as long as she stayed with the team, and until the war was over.

* * *

They made it back to the chocobo trading post without incident and collected their bounty. Delenda received a share of it as well. She had tried to argue that she hadn't done anything, but Gladio cut her off with a terse, "stop." She used her share to buy a backpack, all the better to hold more magic vials, and a change of clothes. To Prompto's joy, they now also got a discount on chocobo riding. His wish to use that perk was shot down quickly though. They had to get to Lestallum to check on Gladio's sister Iris. To Gladio's intense relief, she had made it out of Insomnia, and was safely ensconced in a hotel in the largest surviving city.

Delenda had graduated from being a "hanger on" to a full-fledged warrior of the team. Her weapon of choice, the mighty backpack. It held all of the magic vials as well as potions for everyone. She was the requisite "healer" and "zapper" for them all. It was her job to keep an eye on them and toss potions their way if they were staggering, and to give the "imp treatment" to monsters that were a safe distance from the rest of the team. Magic was still a liability since it would attack everything within a radius, even her allies, so she had to be careful. They told her that those with the knack of how to use it could focus it on just the enemy itself, but it took talent and years of practice. They taught her everything they knew about magic, which they admitted, wasn't their forte.

Noctis had pointed out the "magic crystals" to her, natural rocks that held elemental energy. It required a steady hand and iron nerves to siphon it off into a vial, as a single slip of the hand could cause the contents to land on you, killing you painfully. They were so scared of it that they always had Noctis do it. She knew she had to learn it if she wanted to advance, so when it was her turn, she attempted to siphon off fire energy. Noctis stood by with a bucket of water, ready to pour it on her should she fail.

Ignis taught her to mix the elements together to create something new. He said most of it was trial and error and that he didn't know much about how it worked. However, he did say that it was much safer handling elements that were already in the vials than it was pulling straight from the rock. It was still quite dangerous though, so she still had to be very careful and should only use little bits at a time to keep from destroying herself.

He was able to teach her to make the "conventional spells" requiring a single element only, which was sufficient for now. Once she was more comfortable with that, she would try more on her own.

* * *

The land became less green as they approached Lestallum, reminding her a lot of the land near Insomnia. She was quite impressed with the city itself. While the buildings weren't as tall as Insomnia, it was still a respectable city, bustling with activity. She felt a twinge of nervousness that someone here would recognize her from the newspaper, but she was pretty much ignored, just one of the crowd. The heat was indescribable though—the brick-sided buildings seemed to trap the heat, turning each narrow street into an oven. She was glad when they reached the air-conditioned hotel where Iris was staying.

"Gladio, I'm so glad you're ok," a short dark-haired girl exclaimed, running up to hug Gladio. It was startling but surprisingly heartwarming to see someone run up and hug the giant, imposing Gladio, and to see him gruffly fighting back tears to see his only sister safe and sound.

Then she ran up to Noctis, giving him a hearty hug too. Delenda would have thought Noctis would be awkward about it, but he seemed surprisingly ok with it, hugging her back. Gladio was looking at him suspiciously.

Iris was more staid with the others, but still greeted them effusively. When she got to Delenda, she was looking at her funny. "Have I met you before," she asked.

Delenda froze. Had she seen her picture in the paper?

Gladio got ahead of it quickly, giving her the gist of who Delenda was. Iris accepted it at once. "Thanks so much for protecting my brother," she said, beaming.

"Well, I would say he's protected me more," Delenda said, nervously.

"Let me introduce you all to the guys who got me out of town."

They were introduced to a boy, Talcott, and his grandfather, Jared, who had driven her out of the city.

Delenda shared a room with Iris that evening. It was the first real bed and bathroom she had had in a long time. She used the bathtub for all it was worth.

After breakfast the next morning, Iris insisted she take Noctis for a tour of the city. He agreed with alacrity, leaving Gladio decidedly suspicious. Delenda decided she would wander around herself.

"I am venturing out as well. Shall we go together," Ignis asked Delenda.

"So that's how it is," Gladio muttered behind them.

Ignis studiously ignored him, offering his arm to Delenda. She didn't take it, but left the hotel beside him.

The heat wasn't as bad in the early morning, but it was still there, an undercurrent. She knew they were in for another sultry day.

"I believe the main tourist attraction here is the marketplace," Ignis said.

"Ok, I will follow your lead."

It was only a short walk from their hotel as they were in the tourist district. Delenda was bombarded, in a good way, with the sights, smells, sounds, and colors of the huge market. There were so many different people selling their wares that she had no idea how to choose one. Ignis seemed to be in his element, scanning the food stalls and examining the spices and ingredients they were selling—no doubt "coming up with a new recipe," as he would say. He was, by his standards, enthusiastic and seemed to be having a great time.

"Is it really a good idea to be buying food from these stalls," Delenda asked him at one point. She had heard it was a big no-no to buy food from outdoor markets, as you risked ending up in the bathroom for days.

"Eh, it's fine. Our ancestors have been buying their food this way for centuries and we are all still here. Just a little common sense goes a long way. Like I wouldn't frequent that one over there," he added darkly, pointing to a dingy stall in the corner. The bearded, grungy man in a greasy apron was apparently selling some kind of gyro sandwiches. The slab of meat hanging behind him was pink in spots, and flies were eagerly circulating. They gave that kiosk a wide berth.

In deference to her suspicions though, Ignis led her to a spotless café near the market for lunch. "You know, we can't see the kitchen here," Ignis said teasingly. "The dining room looks nice, but the kitchen could be like the kiosk we saw."

She smacked his arm playfully. "Gee thanks, Ignis. That really makes me want to eat lunch now."

He smirked. "You have been eating camp food for weeks, fish yet, and outdoors at that. You are still here to tell the tale, so I think it's safe to risk this place."

He was right. She was scandalized at market food, but she had been eating as al fresco as you could get, without a problem. It was just that she knew how meticulous Ignis was. He would never give them food poisoning.

They made it back to the hotel at the same time as Noctis and Iris. They were standing arm-in-arm, quite chummy. Ignis rose his eyebrows. "I'm not sure if I should tell Gladio about this or not."

"Is it really a problem?"

"Well, Noctis _is_ engaged to be married. And Gladio doesn't like anyone trifling with his little sister, royal or not."

Even as they were standing there, a beefy gray and white, pointy eared dog came running up to Noctis. It looked too clean to be a stray. Noctis knelt down to pet the majestic creature, and to Delenda's surprise, it gave him a notebook. He picked it up eagerly, read it voraciously, wrote down a note, then gave it back. The dog ran off.

Ignis was standing there, a bemused expression on his face.

"Luna's alive," was all he said.

* * *

Prompto and Gladio were in the lobby when the "tourists" returned. Apparently they had gone out as well but, as Prompto put it, his "date with Gladio" was "boring" so they didn't stay out long. They all gathered around Noctis to see what had happened with "Umbra" the dog, and what Luna had said.

"How do you know it's not something personal," Noctis asked.

"Don't give us that," Gladio snapped back. "She wouldn't have done anything like that through Umbra. Is she ok? Is she in trouble?"

"She writes that she's fine, but that she's recruiting the Astrals to help us."

"Damn," Gladio said. "That's suicide."

"Is the situation that dire, then," Ignis asked.

Delenda was at a loss, trying to follow the exchange. Iris saw and took pity on her. "Astrals are giant, powerful beings. The Oracle has the power to communicate with them and get them to help on certain causes. They are very unpredictable, and only certain Oracles can get through to them. And Luna is so young…."

"What happens if they can't get through," Delenda asked.

"Being exposed to that level of uncontrolled power can kill them," Ignis responded matter-of-factly. "In order to attempt this, Luna must know something dark is coming that we need to prepare for."

"Luna is on her way to Titan now," Noctis said. "I need to go after her."

"We shall leave, right away," Ignis responded.

"Ah the Mighty Titan," a smooth, familiar voice spoke behind them. "You will find it difficult to get to him at the moment, I'm afraid."

They turned as one to face the newcomer. Delenda's hands clenched into fists so hard she thought her nails would break the skin of her palms. She found herself face to face with her former boss.

"What are _you_ doing here," she demanded, every element of loathing she had pressed into her voice.

"Ah, Linda. What a pleasure it is to see you again. I confess I was quite concerned about you after what happened in Insomnia. It is such a relief to see that you have found yourself some 'companions'."

There seemed to be a wealth of innuendo in that last word. Delenda didn't like what he was insinuating, not one bit. She lurched forward, fully intending to slap his smug face, when Noctis moved between them. Ignis grabbed her hand to keep her still. Ardyn rose an eyebrow.

"What do you mean it is difficult to get to Titan right now," Noctis asked him.

"Don't believe a word he says," Delenda interposed. "Everything he says is—"

"Delenda," Ignis cut in, sharply. He turned to Ardyn. "She's correct, though. Why should we trust you?"

"Why should you not," Ardyn responded brightly. "What would I have to gain by lying to you about this? I told you back in Galdin Quay that the ferry to Altissia was out, and it was true. You will find that the road to Titan's humble abode is being blockaded by imperial forces right now." He made a theatrical sigh. "Since the beautiful Lady Lunafreya just _had_ to pay him a visit and rile him up, there is now so much unrest in the region. I do so fear for her…it is such a shame that the imperials are impeding any rescue attempt you may make. That is, unless you accept my aid?"

"What can you do," Gladio asked tersely.

"I'm glad you asked," Ardyn said smugly. Delenda could see Gladio's jaw clench. "I just happen to know a way around the blockade. I, and only I, can get you past them to your lady fair," he said looking at Noctis.

"What's in it for you," Noctis asked.

"I am crushed that you would think me as self-serving as all that. I feel awful for what happened in Insomnia, and I would do anything in my power to make sure you and Lady Lunafreya are united, till death do you part."

Delenda took a breath to speak, to castigate him, to call him a liar. She knew he had planned the whole thing in Insomnia, despite his professions to the contrary. He was undoubtedly planning something horrible even now. Ardyn looked at her, amused, expectant, curious about what she was going to say. The grip on her hand tightened, warningly. "Don't give him what he wants," Ignis whispered in her ear. She forced herself to calm down. If he really was their only way to get to Luna, she couldn't sabotage it by antagonizing him.

"That's better," Ignis murmured.

"So you would take us to this hidden passage you know," Noctis asked.

"Of course, but under one condition: you must do the driving. Give your poor majordomo a break. I can give you a few moments to think it over. If you trust me, meet me out by the parking lot in 10 minutes. If you aren't there, I will assume you are not interested in my kind offer and will depart. I shall eagerly await your decision. Pleasure as always, Delenda," he purred, tipping his hat then sauntering out the front door.

"Ugh, that guy gives me the creeps," Iris said. "How could you work for a guy like that, Delenda."

Delenda was silent, trying to compose herself. She was so furious, she fairly shook with it. "He's planning something," she managed to say with clenched teeth. "I don't think we should trust him at all."

"Although, if he is the only way to get to Luna, I fear we may have no choice," Ignis responded. "It's up to you, Noct, what do you think?"

"I agree with both of you actually. I say we take him up on his offer, but at the first sign of treachery,"

"We nip it in the bud," Ignis finished.

* * *

The air was boiling hot—Delenda had been right, they were in for another sultry day. Iris was lucky. She got to stay back in air conditioned comfort. But then again, maybe she wasn't so lucky. She had wanted to come along, but Gladio and the others had held firm, saying it was too dangerous. Iris was now in the position Delenda had been in, she thought sadly. Relegated to the sidelines while the events happened around her.

Ardyn had parked a short distance away from the Regalia. She recognized the red convertible. It brought back memories she didn't want to remember.

"Ah, so you do trust me after all? How flattering," Ardyn said brightly, as oily as always. "You do remember the agreement though? Noctis must drive."

"We remember," Noctis said tersely.

"Good, you work your majordomo so hard. In fact I think he should be given more room to stretch out. I have some extra room in my car. Why doesn't Delenda ride with me for this leg of the trip?"

"No!" they all said in unison.

"Oh come now. We worked together for the past 4 years. It's only fair that I make sure my former employee is happy in her new job."

"A job you kicked her out of, or do we have that wrong," Prompto of all people snapped back in Delenda's defense. The others stared back at him, shocked, as though he had begun speaking in tongues. Ardyn even looked surprised for a moment, then the customary smugness was back.

"You have quite the stalwart army of defenders, Delenda," Ardyn said. "Surely they deserve some space for a short while. It must be so trying to have a girl tagging along with the boys all the time."

Delenda flinched. Leave it to Ardyn to pinpoint that. She had always been concerned that she was just a "token" that they kept around due to her knowledge of the empire and was totally ineffectual. The stereotypical "emotional" woman that they had to protect and coddle while chafing at the necessity. They had never said or done anything to indicate that, but the doubt had been there, clawing its way out. Being one of the few females in the "man's world" of power most of her life had instilled this fear in her. Ardyn knew her insecurities all too well and was exploiting them.

"She is not a 'girl'. She is a comrade, and I will thank you to remember that, _Chancellor_ Izunia," Ignis responded coldly. "And I know you know full well why none of us want her anywhere near you."

Ardyn, as usual, was unfazed. "Your sentiments do you credit, young man. I'm so glad that she has found a place in your little group. But you really shouldn't test me. I can make her riding with me a condition of this little escapade as well. You need me more than I need you."

The guys looked at each other, frustrated. There was nothing they could do. Delenda knew that she had no choice. For whatever unknown reason Ardyn wanted her with him for awhile. She was trapped and she was pissed. She wasn't sure what he was playing at, but she would counter whatever he had in mind.

"Oh, very well," she said. "I'm not sure why it's so terribly important to you that you'll risk me scuffing the leather of your car, but as long as you let me bring my purse along, I'm happy." And so saying, she grabbed her backpack of magic vials and tossed it over her shoulder. She would not be anywhere near him unarmed.

The gesture was not lost on the rest of the team. Noctis gave a nod of approval, and Ignis gave her an admiring glance.

"We are off, then," Ardyn said gleefully. "Oh, and Noctis, please do keep a safe distance behind me. My car is built for looks, not safety, and I would so hate to see dear Delenda kill herself in a fender bender."

The frustrated anger was palpable, but there was nothing they could do. Delenda climbed into the car, bracing herself for the worst.


	7. Chapter 7: Mutual Repressed Experiences

**Hi Everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. Here is the next chapter featuring our favorite (or not) slimy jerk Ardyn. I have a lot of fun writing him-he's so random and can really do anything and stay in character (he's that crazy). I have a little bit stronger language in here this time around. I "think" it's still safe for the T rating, but if anyone is scandalized by it, let me know and I can change the rating. Hope you guys like where the story is going and are still interested. Don't be shy on posting comments! I love reading what folks have to say (good or constructive bad). Cheers!**

* * *

The heat was the same, the car was the same, and the driver was the same. It was bringing back memories Delenda didn't want. Don't say anything, she told herself. Anything she said would just be manipulated and turned to Ardyn's advantage. The only way she could win was by not playing his game.

"So, Delilah, how are things," was Ardyn's first venture.

Don't play the game, she reminded herself, and stayed stubbornly silent.

"Oh, being Prince Noctis's prisoner of war must be so traumatizing that you can't talk about it. I am so sorry. It's terrible what men can do to their prisoners, especially female prisoners…"

How dare he! "They have ALL been kinder and more chivalrous to me than you ever were," she snapped back.

He was keeping his eyes on the road, but she could see the triumphant smirk side-long.

"Oh, that's so good to hear. I'm glad that things are going so well for you."

He had forced her into the game, so there was no point in staying silent.

"Tell me, did you or someone else knock Luna unconscious?"

"Surely you don't think _I_ would strike such a delicate flower," Ardyn responded, seemingly appalled that she would suggest such a thing. She wasn't fooled.

"You had no problem hatching a plan to destroy a kingdom in cold blood under the guise of peace. Striking down a defenseless woman is nothing compared to that."

"But is Lady Luna defenseless? She is an Oracle after all. She has the power to talk to Gods."

"If she is such a threat, why are you offering to help her now?"

"Regardless of what you think of me, I live for peace. Luna has created unrest with Titan, which is in turn 'alarming' our military contingent. If our noble prince can reach her, things may settle down."

She regarded him warily. Was he telling her the truth? She doubted it, but his words had just enough truth behind them that she could feel tendrils slipping under her cynicism. She didn't want to believe him, but there were some undercurrents there that were weakening her. Because she felt so undermined she overcompensated.

"Bullshit!"

He glanced at her then, actually surprised for a moment. "Ah, but then you have been accused of attacking Lady Lunafreya and destroying any chances of peace. I should not be surprised that you scoff at peace now."

She didn't trust herself to speak or to do anything except claw his eyes out. Only the fact that it would cause a car wreck that could hurt others if she tried stayed her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry for that remark, but I read it in the paper, so it must be true," he said sarcastically. "I know how newspapers can make up 'alternative' facts. In fact, I might be able to get them to retract that little story. I might be able to have the empire pardon you for your recent actions, too. The poor maiden in the power of grief-stricken and unhinged Prince Noctis, held there by fear and Stockholm Syndrome. Of course she was forced to betray the empire under these circumstances, but is really an innocent victim."

Say nothing, she repeated to herself like a mantra. Don't encourage him by saying anything…"and what would you want in exchange for this," she found herself saying. Damn it!

"You are in a…unique…position. Prince Noctis and his team trust you, despite your imperial origins. If you were able to continue as you are doing, and send periodic updates of their plans to me, it would be very useful for the peace efforts. You do that for me, and I can make all your problems go away. It would be just like old times, working for me, except just not in that drafty office…"

She laughed, brittlely, almost hysterically. "So if I spy for you, you will get me acquitted of my crimes? The ones you did and placed on me? Do you really think I'm that naïve?"

"I didn't sell my imperial knowledge to the enemy. I didn't reveal everything that my father and brother ever told me and use it against them. I didn't betray my father's memory and the only meaningful conversations I've had with my brother since 'dear daddy's' death. Those are all your sins, my dear, but I can keep you from being punished for them."

Delenda felt like she had been punched in the stomach. He knew far too much about her. She didn't know how he knew, but it made her feel violated. She was reminded of what Ignis had told her when asking for her help, "I apologize if you feel we are making you betray your people, but desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say." At the time, she had not even thought of that. As far as she was concerned, she owed the empire nothing after how they had treated her.

Yet her father had served them loyally, even giving his life to them. And her brother was still there, leveraging his considerable intellect for them. The empire had housed her entire life, her happy childhood with her mother, little Delenda eagerly waiting for dad to return from battle so she could give him the stick-figure drawings of their family she had drawn. What would her father think if he were alive to see her now? Ardyn was right, she had betrayed her family. But then, what the empire was doing was even worse…

They pulled off into the parking lot of a rest stop. There was nothing here but a gas station, a convenience store, and a sleeping trailer that could be rented out overnight. The group had avoided this option so far, opting for camping instead. Ardyn parked, with the Regalia pulling in beside them.

"Why have we stopped," Noctis asked.

"We are still a ways away from Titan's lair," Ardyn responded. "We won't get there before dark, and as you know, the roads can be treacherous after the sun goes down. I know! Let's stay here for the evening and you can all regale me with stories of your adventures."

Delenda looked at him sharply. Was this a way for him to spy?

Noctis looked toward the horizon. The sun was getting low. They had no choice.

The trailer, when Delenda peeked in, was not prepossessing. It had 2 sets of bunk beds and a sleeper sofa, so it could house all 6 of them if one didn't mind cramped quarters and if 2 folks were fine with sharing a bed. "I call top bunk," Ardyn called out, immediately grabbing one of the bunk beds in the back.

She couldn't do it. She could have made do if it was just the guys. She felt safe enough with them that she could stuff into close quarters with them. But with Ardyn in the mix, no way. She didn't want to be sleeping anywhere near him. It's not like she thought he would physically harm her or anything, but everything about him now made her skin crawl. Any trace of his presence made her remember the horror of Insomnia, and every appalling thing he had ever said to her. The psychological wounds he inflicted in the car was still too new, too raw. She couldn't deal with them and him at the same time. She would rather sleep outside with the Daemons than be in a Daemon-safe fortress with him.

She walked out, blindly, purposefully to the Regalia to get her tent out. It was locked, of course.

"What do you need," Ignis asked, hitting the trunk-open button on his key ring.

"My tent and sleeping bag," she responded tersely.

"I would normally offer to take the tent while you sleep inside, but I think that would defeat the purpose for you in this case. None of us will let Chancellor Izunia harm you, you know. You are safer inside."

"I know. I just can't," she said, her voice clipped to try to keep any strong emotions out of it.

"Do you need to talk about anything? Did he hurt you," Ignis asked gently.

"Of course he hurt me. He framed me in Insomnia," she said with asperity.

"You know what I meant. We are all looking for any excuse to sever ties, but right now we have to be civil. However, if he did anything to you, the status quo has changed, and he will be brought to account. I assure you."

She didn't want to lie to Ignis, and she also knew if she said nothing that he would draw his own conclusions, and they could be very bad ones. So she told him about his "offer."

He was silent for a moment, thinking after her report.

"If he were trustworthy, it would be a good move for you. It would give you your reputation back and give you a chance to go home. It would also mean you wouldn't be reliant on our protection anymore and could be free of us, if that's your desire."

"You really think I'm as mercenary as that? Well, maybe you're right, seeing as I already betrayed my homeland," she added bitterly.

Ignis was silent for a moment. "You said once that your father didn't approve of Magitek soldiers. Would he have approved of what the empire is doing now?"

"No, but he would not have wanted me to betray them, either."

"He was your father though. He would have understood you and your motives. He would have supported you regardless of what you did. Isn't that what fathers do?"

She thought for a moment. She knew not all fathers were like that, but hers was. He always regretted that he wasn't around as much as he could have been, but he always made sure that he was there when it counted, and was only happy when he was home with his family. He had understood that Delenda wanted nothing to do with the war machine. He had encouraged her to join the diplomatic corps so she could make a difference and do something that made her happy. He had even been supportive of her being a shopkeeper (a big no-no in imperial circles) to completely remove her from anything war-related if that was what she wanted out of life. He would have been horrified to see her caught up in conflict and would have stood behind anything she felt she had to do to keep sane.

She felt the guilt lessen a bit, blunting Ardyn's edge. Even if her family was fractured, they had been a loving one. Her parents would have stood by her, and she knew her brother would too if she asked. It took Ignis to reset her perspective just by asking the right questions. Ardyn was a manipulator and a liar, she had to remember. No matter how often she told herself that, he always wedged his way in and tore her apart. She hated him, she realized with surprise. She had never truly hated anyone—she had felt dislike, but not this. If she was ever in the same room with him again, she would kill him.

"As I said before, Ignis, I owe the empire nothing, and I owe Ardyn even less, other than a kick in the face maybe. I'm yours, as long as you are willing to trust me—well 'yours' as in the team, well, you know what I mean," she added flustered and probably blushing.

Ignis smiled. "I understand completely. Prompto will be happy to hear you are staying," Ignis said teasingly.

"Um, I thought he has a thing for Cindy," she responded.

"He does, but I'd wager you are a close second in his eyes."

"But, I'm nothing like Cindy. I don't fall out of my clothes or anything," she tapered off, realizing that she had said too much.

She couldn't decipher the look he gave her, but it made her feel unusually warm. "See that you don't," was all he said.

* * *

The rest of the trip passed mostly without incident. Delenda was allowed to return to the Regalia, and Ardyn was fine with Ignis driving again. "I saw for myself he got plenty of sleep last night, so I'm sure he will drive the team safely," Ardyn added, earning a look of disgust from Ignis and the rest of the team.

The trip was largely silent. They didn't ask Delenda how the first leg with Ardyn went, and she didn't ask them how they endured their evening with him. It was as though they had mutually agreed to repress their experiences.

Ardyn had been telling the truth about the unrest: as they approached the Disc of Cauthess (Titan's home), they began to feel earthquakes. The first one made Ignis swerve then pull off the road. "What the devil" he exclaimed. This was followed by a groan of pain from Noctis. They all turned to him.

"What's the matter, Noct, you hit your head or something," Gladio asked.

"No. I just—got a piercing headache all of a sudden."

The team looked at each other uneasily.

"Here, maybe a potion will help," Delenda offered.

"No, I'm—alright now," Noctis responded clearly lying.

"You don't need to be a hero, you know," she said, trying to foist the potion onto him, but he stubbornly refused.

They drove on. The earthquakes began increasing in frequency and strength. And every time, Noctis got a splitting headache. There was definitely a correlation between the quakes and him. And if Titan was causing the quakes, what did this mean for Noctis? Delenda asked this question aloud, but nobody had the answer.

The mountain where Titan was housed looked forbidding even from a distance. Delenda couldn't believe they were going inside it. Ardyn didn't turn off the main road at all, and drove them right up to the imperial blockade.

"Get ready to fight," Gladio said darkly.

To their surprise, the guards stood back and opened the gate. Ardyn walked up to the Regalia casually.

"I have gotten them to open the gate for you. This is as far as I go. You can handle the rest from here. Just follow the road a little ways. Ta."

"So much for a secret passage," Noctis said, his voice tight with pain.

"I don't like this at all, but no guts, no glory," Ignis responded as they continued driving.


	8. Chapter 8: Ice, Paper, Rock

**Greetings and Salutations! Here is the next installment with some Titan action, and some (hopefully) intriguing tension between Delenda and Ignis. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments!**

* * *

The road became rough, narrow, and unpaved. There was an open abyss next to the road that wasn't even fenced off. Delenda had to count on Ignis's superb driving to keep them from falling off the side. At last, they reached a cave that was too narrow for the car.

"We go on foot from here," Ignis said. "Let's go. Everyone be on your guard."

Delenda was surprised. She thought she would have been asked to "guard the car again," but it didn't come up. Looks like her backpack skills might come in handy, she thought smugly.

It became apparent that the Disc of Cauthess wasn't just a mountain, it was a volcano. Delenda could feel the dry heat surrounding them, causing them to slowly bake.

"I don't know how Luna can stand this. I'm sweating like a pig," Prompto said.

"And how often have you been around pigs," Gladio snarked back.

He didn't have the chance to reply. The cave they were in opened up to the crater itself. And taking up almost the entire space was a gigantic being that defied description. The team stood frozen a minute, taking in the abomination before them. The being turned its head towards them and Delenda flinched, waiting for death. It responded with a deep, guttural roar that shook the entire place. The team struggled to keep their balance, and Noctis fell to his knees, clutching his head again.

"Oh, for the love of…not now," Gladio snapped.

"We have to go down to it," Noctis said.

"Wait, what," Prompto replied, shocked.

"What did it say to you," Ignis asked Noctis.

Wait, that thing was talking just now, Delenda thought, startled. If that was its talking, what was its screaming in rage like? She hoped they didn't find out.

"He said Luna was here, and begged him to bequeath his power to me. But he won't give any of it to a 'weak, puny prince'", Noctis said, teeth clenched in pain and anger.

"Hmph, didn't even call you King," Gladio muttered.

"Is Luna ok," Delenda asked.

"He didn't say. I'm going down to get answers."

"I'll go with you," Gladio responded.

"Wait, guys, are you sure this is a good idea?" Delenda hated being the one who had to voice caution, but it seemed that they all too often threw themselves into danger that could be avoided. And confronting an Earth God was definitely something they should avoid.

Gladio and Noctis led the way, with the other 3 trailing behind. The rumbling was the only warning they got. Suddenly there was an explosion that hurled a large molten boulder their way. Delenda grabbed an ice flask, ready to toss it at the boulder in desperation when she was roughly shoved aside. She landed hard, on her back, pinned under a male body.

"What were you thinking, Delenda," Ignis, pressed against her, spoke angrily. "Did you really think throwing an ice cube at a rock would do anything!"

"The ice would have stopped the fire," she responded defensively.

"And what would it do against the heavy rock," he riposted coldly.

"Well I didn't see you doing anything!"

"I got _you_ out of the way didn't I!"

Being pressed against him was disturbing. It was making her far too aware of him. Their eyes met, and there was a moment of unbearable tension.

"You ok guys," Prompto asked, running over to them.

What was she doing! They were in mortal danger right now, the others could have been hurt, and she was busy focusing on her physical contact with Ignis! Ignis stood up, calm again, offering her a hand to help her up. She dared not take it. She recovered her backpack and did a frantic inventory. Luckily none of the magic flasks had broken. She needed to come up with magic flasks that were fall-proof.

"What about Noct and Gladio," Ignis asked Prompto sharply. It was apparent that Prompto was ok.

"The rock caused the floor, ground, whatever to collapse between us and them. They're down there," he said, gesturing vaguely towards the crater.

They heard more roar/talking. They peered down to see Noctis and Gladio were confronting Titan. Even as they watched, it was moving its giant hand towards them for an attack. Noctis slashed its hand, then while it was stunned, Noctis and Gladio started running away.

"We need to get down to them now," Ignis said.

Delenda was looking down at where the rock hit. The floor had collapsed into a ramp rather than a deep abyss. It would be rough going though. Maybe if she covered it with ice…

"Guys, I think I see a way of getting down to them!" And so saying, she opened an ice flask and poured it down the ramp. It worked just as she dreamed, creating an ice slide that they could side down.

"Wow, that's EPIC dude," Prompto replied, taking a running start and sliding down.

Ignis looked to her. "I don't suppose you'd listen if I asked you to stay up here? It would be prudent if you didn't attempt to engage a God."

Delenda didn't even grace him with a reply. She took a deep breath, and leapt down the slope.

For a panicked moment, she didn't think she would stop and would slam into a wall, or off of another cliff, but she lost momentum after a few painful bumps. A hurt back and now a hurt butt, she thought. Ignis landed a bit more gracefully nearby. Then they were up and running to intercept Noctis and Gladio.

As soon as they met up, they saw how futile it was. Titan was talk/roaring again, and shaking its boulder-sized fists.

"You say you won't let us out of here alive? If that's the way you want to be, fine, we'll take you on," Noctis said angrily, running back towards him. They all followed suit without question. They knew they had no choice. They had to vanquish this thing or die trying. But what could they do to win, Delenda wondered. It's not like they had the power to kill a god.

However, they didn't have to fight it alone. Even as they approached, they saw it being shot with restraining chains. They looked above them to see magitek soldiers attacking it.

"You think they will go for us too," Gladio asked Delenda.

"I don't know! It's not like we can attack them while Titan is gunning for us anyway!"

Noctis was keeping up his trademark, waiting for Titan's strike attempt then slashing its hands. However, with his teammates here, they could now attack him in that brief window while he was stunned. Even with the empire "helping" it was apparent that their weapons were pretty useless against it.

With such close quarters, Delenda couldn't use magic. She would kill the others if she tried. She was forced to stay back, ready to toss potions at them if they were in danger and keeping an eye on what the empire was doing. So far they were focusing on Titan and leaving them alone, but who knew if that would last? Prompto was also pretty useless she couldn't help but notice. He was knocked unconscious seemingly every time Titan moved. She had to use Phoenix Downs on him almost constantly.

"We'll be stuck in a Mobius strip until we get tired at this rate," Ignis snapped. "Delenda, can you give me some ice flasks? I have an idea."

She ran over to Ignis, keeping a wary eye on Titan's fists. She wasn't a fast runner, so she knew if it aimed for her, she wouldn't be able to escape it. She got to Ignis safely and gave him a handful of the blue vials. This time, when Noctis stunned Titan, Ignis threw a series of ice flasks at Titan, turning his arm to ice. Now when the others struck this arm, made brittle by the ice, it shattered. Delenda got to hear what Titan's roar of rage was like, and she would probably hear it in her nightmares for the rest of her life.

Noctis suddenly fell to his knees again, clutching his head in pain just before he vomited. It looked like he was suffering the worst migraine of his life. They all ran forward, but he waved them off. "He gave me his power," Noctis said weakly, standing up.

They didn't have time to collect themselves, though. Whether it was because the battle itself had made things unstable, or out of sheer spite from Titan, the volcano began to erupt. The very floor they were standing on was breaking away, revealing the endless pool of lava beneath. Delenda realized that her path down was not a path up. They were trapped. She looked desperately to the others. They were doing the same. Delenda knew they were dead. She made her way over to Ignis and grabbed his hand without even thinking. He held it, tightly.

"It appears you are in a bind, mighty warriors," came the voice they had all come to hate. "Might you need my assistance?"

It was Ardyn all right, waving from the open hatch of an imperial airship.

"Climb in, all of you, unless you prefer to make friends with the lava down there."

They had no choice. Self-preservation trumped all. It didn't matter what his motives were, or what he planned to do to them later. Right now he was their only lifeline, so they all grabbed it with both hands.

* * *

The journey out was stone silent. Noctis was still suffering the aftermath of whatever power Titan had given him. He looked generally ill. The rest of the party was keeping an eye on him, trapped with their thoughts. Delenda herself was fighting off an adrenaline crash. They, she, had taken on a god today, and apparently had won. How had they done it?

Ardyn was mercifully silent. Delenda still wasn't sure what his game had been. Luna was long gone—Titan had apparently told Noctis that Luna departed safely days before. If that was the case, why had Ardyn played up the "rescuing Luna" angle to get them there? And why had the empire been attacking Titan? She had no answers and trying to get them out of Ardyn would be useless. He would just try to break her again, and in the aftermath of a battle, she didn't have the ability to fend him off.

They had lost track of the Regalia in the eruption. Prompto was mourning it as though it were dead. "All the work Cindy did to it, for nothing," he said sadly.

"You're just sad that we're out of excuses to see Cindy," Gladio said.

"We don't 'need' excuses to see her," Prompto riposted.

Ardyn dropped them off near the Chocobo Trading Post.

"I would be remiss in my duties as rescuer if I didn't provide you with transportation," he said sarcastically, gesturing towards the Chocobos.

Gladio grumbled.

"Well, this is where I bid you adieu. Gentlemen, lady," Ardyn said, bowing with a flourish as he returned to the airship and departed.

"Well at least you get your wish to ride a Chocobo, Prompto," Noctis said. He seemed to be more the thing.

"Before we exercise that option, perhaps we should telephone Cindy," Ignis suggested. "She knows everything about cars and she may have more information for us."

"I'll call her," Prompto responded eagerly.

"Of course you will," Gladio muttered.

He ran off to make his call in privacy. They all knew how absurd that was. Cindy would keep it strictly business and Prompto would attempt to flirt so vaguely that Cindy wouldn't even catch it. Then she would hang up.

Delenda figured she should check on Noctis. As designated healer for the group apparently, she needed to make sure he didn't need a potion or something. He was standing alone, lost in thought.

"Are you doing ok," she asked timidly.

"Yeah I'm fine now," he responded tersely.

"The power Titan gave you. What does it feel like?"

"You mean before or after it made me puke?"

"I think I can grasp how it felt back there. I've had bad illnesses before," she responded.

"Titan says he gave me the ability to summon him to help us in battle. Just in times of extreme stress though and he will only come if he feels like it."

"That's it? I could have done that and I'm not an all-powerful god!"

"Yeah. I guess the only way I can control his power and 'bend him to my will' is if I had my father's Ring of the Lucii. And I'm guessing the empire has it now," he said bitterly.

Delenda's shoulders slumped. Uncovering that ring was like finding a needle in a haystack. Apparently their "enhanced power" consisted of a god making Noctis very sick and offering to help "when it felt like it." It didn't seem to be worth their time. "Well at least you are feeling better now," Delenda said, trying to find a bright side.

"Yeah, no more earthquakes, no more headaches. I'll take it," he said, then wandered off to talk with Gladio.

Ignis came over after. "How are you holding up," he asked her.

"I'm fine. Thank goodness the magic flasks survived being tossed aside when the rock hit too." She had meant nothing by it, but Ignis jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"If this is an accusation regarding my attempt to protect you," he responded defensively.

His tone irked her, and since he brought it up, "well, I couldn't help but notice you too 'flung an ice cube' at an even bigger rock, and it seemed to work."

"I didn't use it on a moving target that was coming our way. And anyway, my getting you out of the way was more—efficient."

"At nearly magicking us all to death, maybe," she snapped. Why was she being such a bitch, she wondered, even as she was saying it. He had just come over to ask if she was ok and she was quarreling with him. It was as though their confrontation from before wasn't finished.

"The next time I pin you, I promise I will be gentler," he said matter-of-factly, then strode off, leaving her gaping, face fiery red.

* * *

Cindy was even better than they thought. When she had "souped up" the Regalia, she had also added a tracking device to it. She knew exactly where it was but didn't want to give its location over the phone. She was on her way now to meet them in person. If Prompto was infatuated with her before, it was nothing like now. She was now his muse, his goddess. And she was even coming to visit. This was the happiest day of Prompto's life.

It would take her overnight to get here—her home base at Hammerhead was a ways away from them, so they would have to crash with the chocobos for the night. This was not a problem though. The proprietor still owed them for bringing Deadeye down, so he gave them lodging for free. Delenda was even able to get her own room.

It was amazing what a good night's sleep could do. Everyone seemed happier and more the thing in the morning.

"I wonder when Cindy gets here," Noctis razzed Prompto. "It's kind of chilly here. She might have her coat zipped up."

"I don't care about that. She's an angel regardless of how she's dressed."

Gladio made a retching sound. "I thought there were just 'two reasons' why you liked her," he responded to Prompto's cheesy phrasing.

"I'll just go watch the road for her," Prompto said, sulkily, and strode off. Noctis followed, for lack of anything better to do. Delenda hoped he would behave himself and leave Prompto alone. She personally found Cindy to be kind of trashy—she had met her once when they had to take the Regalia in for repairs, but she had to admit that she knew her stuff. And Prompto's puppy love was endearing.

Speaking of endearing, or lack thereof, she owed Ignis an apology for yesterday. She found him lounging against a pillar of the trading post, cup of ebony in hand.

"Good morning," he said, prosaically.

"I owe you an apology for my behavior last evening," she said quickly. "You saved my life and all I cared about was my backpack. I should have thanked you, not argued with you."

"It is I who should apologize for having taken liberties. And you were right—if your backpack had been hit too hard in the collision, we could have all perished."

"You pushed me out of the way. I would hardly call that 'taking liberties'."

"Maybe, maybe not," was all he said.

"So, are we friends again," she asked, holding out her hand.

He took it. "I wasn't aware that we had ever stopped being 'friends'".


	9. Chapter 9: Rescue of the Regalia

**Hi Everyone! As part of my "operation provide finished story", here is the next installment. Hope people are still finding it interesting! As always, feel free to comment with any questions or feedback! Gracias!**

* * *

Cindy arrived in the most brash way possible. She stormed up on the biggest, loudest motorcycle Delenda had ever seen. The chocobos were startled by the noise, "kwehing" agitatedly and shuffling around their pen.

She was dressed in leather jacket, pants, and boots to go with it. Delenda shook her head bemusedly. She may not be falling out of her outfit this time, but an immature boy like Prompto would still be enthralled by her appearance.

"Howdy there. I see y'all are as safe as a rattlesnake in its nest. That's a good thing," Cindy greeted.

Prompto took a breath to say something, probably cheesy, but Noctis cut him off.

"So you know where the Regalia is?"

"Nice to see you too, Noctis, but yeah. You—probably won't like my answer though."

Noctis sighed. "Seems like that kind of day. What have you got, if you don't mind me asking," he added belatedly, realizing that he should maybe be less terse.

Cindy smiled at his attempt. Prompto admired her. "Well, the empire has it. It appears to be at a base near Lestallum."

"And how much do you want to bet Izunia knew it all along as he dumped us here with these dumb things," Gladio snarled, gesturing wildly to the chocobos behind the fence.

"Why would they take it," Noctis asked.

"Welp, the way I figger, maybe they want to try reverse engineering it, to see if they can get any secrets out of it," Cindy responded. "You can tell a lot about a person by the vehicle they drive. They probably want to know all about you, Noctis."

"Hmph, more likely Ignis since he does most of the driving anyway," Noctis snarked back.

"Well it was your father's car," Ignis responded. "I imagine we wouldn't know it was there if they had discovered the tracking beacon already. I must commend you, Miss Cindy. You hid the beacon so well that they haven't discovered it yet."

"Pshaw. More likely cuz they haven't started their work yet."

"We should get it before they have the chance to," Gladio said.

"My thought, exactly," Ignis responded.

"How will we get there," Prompto asked. "Cindy, do you have like a flying car with lasers or something we can get there in?"

"Sorry, hon. Everything I got's in the shop. The only vehicle I have is the motorcycle I rode in on. And even with my skills, I can't get it to transport 5 people."

"That means, we get to ride chocobos, right" Prompto responded, excitedly. Apparently it was impossible to squash Prompto's spirits.

"It would seem so," Noctis responded.

"We'll have to travel light. Chocobos aren't known for their cargo space," Ignis said.

* * *

Travelling light was an understatement. Delenda had to leave some of her precious magic flasks behind at the trading post to make room for food (cup of noodles to Gladio's joy and Ignis's dismay) and bottles of water in her bag. It was decreed that food was more important than weapons (for her anyway) on this leg of the trip. The others got to keep theirs, she noticed, bitterly.

Rationally, she understood the logic behind it and it made sense. However, it felt like she had been demoted somehow. And being largely without her magic flasks made her feel defenseless, which was not a comfortable position.

They couldn't carry tents, either, which meant they had to rely on trailers and roadside motels on their way to Lestallum. Due to logistics and cost, Delenda had to bunk with them. It wasn't a problem, though. They always made sure she had her own bed, whether it was one of the bunks in a trailer, or an extra cot in a motel room. From what she gathered, they had traveled with Iris before, so had no hangups about sharing a room with a 'girl'.

Speaking of Iris, there was not a chance to see her when they passed through Lestallum. They were so intent on getting the Regalia back that they had no time for anything else. She could see why they wanted the Regalia back though. Riding chocobos was tiring. The ride was bumpy, painful on the butt, and chocobos (at least hers) tended to be willful, so it took all her strength and patience to keep it going the way she wanted it to. Prompto either had a good chocobo or he had an affinity with them. His went right on target, with seemingly minimal effort. He did spend most of the trip petting, talking, and praising his chocobo though, so maybe that was the trick. Delenda tried with hers, but it just seemed to "kweh" quizzically and do what it had been doing before.

They ended up at a campsite close to the fort.

"We should leave our chocobos here, then go scope out the fort," Ignis said.

It seemed to be the best idea. They followed their usual process—making their way to one of the guard towers and peering inside. This one looked the same as the others.

"Look, the Regalia," Prompto exclaimed.

Delenda saw it, but also saw the legion of guards between them and the car. "Guys, this might be a trap. That may be why they didn't mess with the tracking beacon."

"Yeah I guess so," Noctis responded. "But I would rather destroy the Regalia myself than let them have it."

"Even if that relegates us to chocobos, I agree with Noct," Ignis said. "I say we make our way in there, ascertain if we can drive the Regalia out, and if we can't then we destroy it. You have a couple of fire flasks left, right Delenda?"

"You want to blow it up?"

"Only if we have to."

"It will draw a lot of attention if we do," Gladio responded.

"True, but if we manage to be stealthy, we may be able to get close enough to do our thing before they see us," Ignis replied.

Noctis looked at the army again. "There is no way in hell we are sneaking past all that. I think we need a distraction. I'll go to one of the idle mechs and blow it up with—I guess whatever lightning flasks we have. That should do it on robot things. Then when they come to see what happened you guys make your way to the Regalia and drive it out of there, or destroy it. Then we will meet back outside."

"Hmm, your plan has merit. But I can't say I approve of leaving you alone to face the forces," Ignis responded, warily.

"I can handle it. Who knows, maybe Titan will deign to help me too," Noctis said.

"I don't trust a god that tried to kill us. I will go with you," Gladio stated. There was no budging him, they knew, so with their vaguely-concocted plan, they waited for nightfall to make themselves less visible, then set to work.

They made their way to an unpatrolled corner of the fort where they split up. "Let me know when you get as close to the Regalia as you can, then I will do my thing," Noctis instructed. Then he grabbed Gladio's hand and they warped away.

"Gladio is not going to like that," Prompto whispered.

"Quiet!" Ignis hissed.

It was slow going. Ignis would scan around every corner, weapons drawn, to see if the coast was clear. Prompto scanned behind them to make sure they weren't being ambushed. Delenda's hands felt tied without her magic. She had some extra flasks, but any attack would be too showy, and draw too much attention. She kept pace between them, a liability. She would have been better watching from afar, she thought bitterly.

They were so busy watching in front and behind them that they failed to be watching above. Delenda saw the shadow first. "Ignis," she exclaimed, and it was her turn to push him out of the way as a solider with a lance did its best to pierce him from above. Her push didn't knock him over like his had her, but it did its job. They turned to face the new threat.

It wasn't a robot this time, but a human. A woman dressed just as scantily as Cindy.

"Damn, I was so close," she mentioned casually.

"You're a dragoon I take it," Ignis asked, just as calmly.

The women stared at him with a new respect, probably appreciating his coolness under pressure. She sized him up, eyes devouring him. Delenda's fear of this woman graduated to pure dislike. Ignis seemed unfazed, staring back with dispassionate interest.

"I'm Aranea Highwind. Don't bother introducing yourselves," she turned to Prompto who had opened his mouth to do just that. "I know who you all are, but I don't really care. You're just prey."

Delenda cut her off with an ice vial. Aranea jumped away gracefully. Ignis and Prompto moved in to fight. Delenda had to ration her magic vials. She needed the fire ones for the Regalia, so would have to rely on the pitiful few ice ones she had left. Noctis had all the lightning ones. Aranea was just too fast and jumped too high for magic to be of use. She was dodging Prompto's bullets quite effectively, and Ignis was unable to land hits. The only one they had in their group who could match her speed and height was Noctis with his warping ability, but he was trying to keep the horde away from them…

"Ha! I thought glaives were better than this," Aranea scoffed. "I'm so glad I decided to order the guards to stand down and let me deal with you alone. I wouldn't want to waste their time with weaklings like you."

She had ordered the guards to stand down? This clinched it then. Feeling like a coward who had to ask somebody to kill a spider for her, Delenda used her cell phone to frantically call Noctis. She willed him to answer.

"Ready for the diversion," Noctis asked.

"Not by a longshot. We've got trouble on the north end. We need you and Gladio over here now." She spoke so quickly, she wasn't even sure if her message came across.

"We're on our-" the call cut off as Delenda jumped back to avoid an attack. Aranea had turned her attention towards her. She flung another ice vial Aranea's way, just to force her to jump back. She knew full well it wouldn't hit. Ignis was already coming up fast, trying to backstab her. Prompto was on a fire escape of one of the nearby buildings, taking potshots. Delenda figured they were probably getting weak, so tossed some potions their way. She had to keep them in play until the others got here.

Delenda had been hit. She could feel the sharp pain in her back, and the cold ooze of blood. It must have happened when she pushed Ignis out of the way, she thought. Their potion supply was dangerously low though. The others needed it more right now. And besides, if it were bad enough she would have passed out from blood loss by now, so the wound couldn't be that bad, right?

She was never so happy to see Noctis and Gladio in her life when they ran around the corner-well "never" was the wrong word. She had also been pretty happy when they had rescued her from the giant when they first met. Aranea sized the 2 of them up. "Hello pretty boy, beefcake," she responded, with nods to Noctis and Gladio respectively.

"I don't want to hit a woman if I don't have to-" Noctis was cut off when Aranea charged towards him.

"Forget chivalry, Noct" Gladio snapped as Noctis dodged her attack, with a speed that made her raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"Hmm. Now this fight is getting fun," Aranea responded, as the fight began in earnest.

They really were unstoppable when all 4 were together, Delenda thought. Noctis was able to keep up with her speed and warp as high as she when she tried to retreat through the air. He forced her to land, and Ignis and Gladio were ready to strike as soon as she did. Prompto continued with his potshots to keep her on her toes, which was beginning to slow her down. Delenda kept tossing the potions she had. She was down to only a couple.

It looked like they finally had Aranea. She landed awkwardly when Noctis pushed her out of an aerial combo, causing her to stagger. Gladio went in for the kill. She warped away to the top of a building quite a distance from them—not even Noctis could warp there.

"That's enough, boys. It's quitting time for me. This girl doesn't work after hours. I assume you came here for your car? Go ahead and take the damn thing. They tore it apart looking for something, but they're done with it now. I don't think they put a bomb or tracking device in it, but you might want to check before you drive it out of here. Till next time," she said brightly then was gone.

They looked at each other in silence. "Well, that was fun," Gladio said, deadpan.

"Indeed," was all Ignis said.

They made their way to the car. The guards completely ignored them. It was eerie, Delenda thought. Being this up close and personal with battle robots that weren't killing you felt weird. She would almost have preferred that they did attack. At least then she would know how things stood.

"The Regalia! I have missed you so," Prompto exclaimed, running up to it.

"Careful, Prompto. Remember, there could be a bomb in it," Ignis cautioned. Prompto stopped in his tracks.

"How will we know if there's a bomb," Noctis asked.

"There is no bomb," came a cold voice behind them.

Another ambush? They turned around to see a platinum-haired young man confronting them. He had a sword strapped to his side, and looked prepared to use it.

"Ravus," was all Noctis said.

"The white-armored man sauntered forward. "As if we would waste our valuable time on something like that," he replied snootily.

"Then why take the Regalia at all," Ignis asked.

"The Ring of the Lucii. It wasn't in the car. Where is it," he asked coldly.

"Hmph, I thought you had it," Noctis snarked back.

Ravus glanced down to his left arm. Delenda noticed it was made of metal. What had happened to him?

"Don't lie to me," Ravus snarled.

"My father had it, and you killed him, didn't you," Noctis snarled back.

"He let my mother die," Ravus snapped, pulling out his sword.

"You want to do this now, fine," Noctis countered, drawing a weapon as well.

Delenda watched the others doing the same, getting ready to follow suit. They weren't prepared for this! They had no potions left, and were already weakened by Aranea.

Noctis and Ravus charged forward, swords about to clash, when suddenly a dagger was thrust between them.

"That's enough, Ravus."

Not again! On top of all this, now Ardyn was here?

"Well met, dear comrades," Ardyn spoke, flowery as always, but he had a vice-like grip on Ravus's arm. "Come now, Ravus. I think they have earned their little victory today. And I don't think your dear sister would approve of you cutting down her fiancé in cold blood, do you?"

Ravus's shoulders slumped, the fight leaving him. "Luna is willing to die for you, Noctis," he spat his name. "You'd better be worthy of it." Then he strode away.

"Well, that's much better," Ardyn said after he left. "And I rescued you again it seems. What should I ask for in return, I wonder?"

"I wouldn't call it a 'rescue'," Gladio snapped. "You stole our car."

"And now I'm giving it back to you, unharmed. I do confess I wanted the tech guys to take the engine out and put it in my car. It really purrs like a dream. You must have some mechanic that can do that work for you. Perhaps you can give me her number," he asked with a pointed look at Prompto.

He stiffened and glared. "I will never give you Cindy's info."

"Cindy, is it? Hmm. That's not that common of a name around here," he replied with a smug smirk.

Prompto started forward to attack him, just to have Gladio pull him back.

Ardyn put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I meant no harm, I assure you."

Nobody believed him, but nobody wanted to call his bluff either.

"So what do you want from us this time," Noctis asked.

"Well—now that you ask, it would appear you had some success in calming Titan down. My hope is you can do the same for the Hydrean, Leviathan in Altissia. Your fair queen is making her way there as we speak. As the Hydrean lives in an inhabited area, I so fear for that beautiful city. And think of it. If you are successful, you will get to claim your bride. It's a beautiful city to get married in," he said leadingly, looking at Noctis.

He had them at "Luna." She was the weak point of their team, as she had been for Ravus. And Ardyn was exploiting it for all it was worth. Even if he were lying, there was always the chance he wasn't. And while that chance existed, they had to help her. If Leviathan was as recalcitrant as Titan had been, and chose to unleash that hatred onto Luna alone…

"Well, thanks for the car, but we need a boat for your request," Ignis responded sarcastically.

"Oh, the Altissia ferry is running again. Feel free to check Galdin Quay if you don't believe me."

He glanced at Delenda. "My word, you don't look so good. Perhaps you should sit down before you pass out." Those were his parting words this time. With that he was gone.

The others looked at her quickly.

"He's right. You are quite pale. Are you ill," Ignis asked sharply.

No! She was not a frail maiden who would faint after a stressful situation. Even though the oozing in her back was still going on, and the feeling of each drop of blood escaping was making her queasy.

"I'm fine, really," she said, but her voice was pretty weak.

"She's bleeding," Noctis said flatly. He had made his way behind her while she was making excuses and was seeing the wound in all its glory. She wished the sun hadn't risen while they were confronting Ravus. She wished she was not wearing a pale tee-shirt that showed blood stains.

"Why didn't you use a potion," Ignis asked accusingly.

"We're all out," she said simply.

His face was grim. "Let's go, everyone. We've got to get her some potion before she bleeds to death."

* * *

 **You may have noticed I am "re-imagining" cannon a bit more now. I am trying to keep the main plot points, just done a little differently. I hope you don't mind! Till next time.**


	10. Chapter 10: Doctor Scientia

**Happy and safe Memorial Day weekend to my fellow Americans. Happy and safe Bank Holiday weekend for any UK folks, and happy weekend to everyone else :) Here is the next installment. Hope people like. Feel free to follow/fav/review-you know the drill ;-)**

* * *

She was a wuss, Delenda decided. It took a God to throw overwhelming power at Noctis before he was sick and weak, and here she was, lightheaded from being grazed by a spear that wasn't even aiming for her. The team decided that Prompto and Gladio would return the chocobos to the nearest chocobo trading post, while Ignis and Noctis took Delenda to Lestallum for treatment.

The one advantage of this approach was that there was plenty of room in the car. She was able to lay down in the back which meant she could faint without injuring herself further. She didn't want to faint. She was feeling waves of it, a receding of reality, the feeling that everything around her was slowing down. It flat out terrified her and she didn't want to go to the dark oblivion it threatened.

"You still with us back there," Ignis asked, sharply.

"Yes," was all she could manage, but even that was a struggle.

They were back in Lestallum.

"Noct, you go to the potion shop and buy the highest grade potions you can get and bandages. Meet us at the hotel after."

Noctis ran off to do just that.

"Sit up slowly, Delenda" Ignis commanded. "Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"

She doubted he could. She was no lightweight, but then again he was stronger than he looked. And the thought of being carried by him was disturbing. She would rather crawl in than be carried. "I can walk, if you can lend me your arm?"

He put his arm around her waist and guided her into the hotel. She was only managing to keep herself upright. He was the one moving her, for all intents and purposes carrying her anyway. Iris met them in the lobby. Noctis had already briefed her apparently.

They rushed her up to Iris's room. The stairs up were Delenda's undoing. After that, she had no more strength, and couldn't keep the oblivion away. She fainted.

* * *

"She's not dead, is she," Iris asked Ignis nervously.

He didn't reply for a moment, too busy with depositing Delenda gently on the bed then taking her pulse.

"Her pulse is weak, but steady. She's just unconscious. But we need Noct here right now."

Ignis flipped Delenda gently on her stomach so he could see the wound. Her shirt was matted around it, so it was hard to see how bad it was. There was quite a bit of blood on her shirt though, which alarmed him.

"How bad is it," Iris asked, peering over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure yet. I need to remove her shirt to get a better look at it, proprieties be damned." He took out a dagger to cut her shirt away from the wound.

"Um, maybe I should do that. She might be less freaked out to know I did it."

"Are you handy with a dagger? We don't want to accidentally stab her."

She glared at him. "You forget my brother is 'big sword' Gladio. I can wield any kind of blade you throw at me."

"Point taken. I will get some wet washcloths for us while you take care of this."

The wound, when sponged, wasn't as bad as Ignis feared. It was shallow, but was still oozing. Even a small trickle could kill if it went unchecked, though.

"Do you think she's lost too much blood," Iris asked.

"I don't know yet. I will know more once we've used the potions and bandaged her up."

"That's my cue," Noctis said dryly, entering the room with a bag of medical supplies.

"And how long were you waiting to announce your presence that way," Iris snarked at him.

"I just got here like a second ago," Noctis replied defensively. "Is she ok?"

Ignis ignored them both, examining the array of potions Noctis had brought. Any of them would work, he thought, but he used the strongest one. He flinched as he heard the hiss as it made contact with her wound, killing all germs and cauterizing the wound. It was a good thing she was still unconscious. This would have made her faint, anyway. After that, he deftly applied the bandages. Iris was watching him like a hawk, as if she expected him to take advantage of the situation somehow, he thought resentfully. She's known him for years. How could he think he was capable of something like that at a time like this?

"Well, I've done what I can," Ignis said, adjusting the blankets more snugly against Delenda's shoulders. "If she is still not improving in a couple of hours, she may need blood."

To Ignis's intense relief, Delenda started improving. She went from unconsciousness to a fitful sleep. Her color was looking a lot better, and her pulse was more the thing as well. Barring any sudden disasters, the potion seemed to be working.

Gladio and Prompto returned, the former thrilled to have gotten rid of the chocobos. Prompto was already missing "Chocomoogle," as he had named his during the trip. After checking in on Delenda and getting Ignis's cautious ok, they went down to the hotel bar, taking Noctis with them. Iris has obviously decided Ignis was not a threat to Delenda, or was just too exhausted to care anymore. She was asleep in the other bed.

Ignis hovered like a mother hen, looking for any change in Delenda's color or breathing. He was switching from concern to anger. How could she have been so foolish? Didn't she know the number one rule of healers: heal yourself before healing others? Any idiot could kill. Only a select few could heal. They needed the potion before a warrior any day. The whole time she was standing there watching them carefully for injury, her back was bleeding out. They had faced Aranea, Ravus, and Ardyn, and she had still said nothing. It took that snake of an Ardyn to even notice she was ill. Why hadn't he noticed? He could have done something much faster if she had said something, or if he had known earlier.

He knew she was paranoid about her "comparative weakness" compared to the rest of them (her words not his). But enough was enough. If she was going to keep silent about every injury, he would have to set her straight. Her foolishness could have killed her today, as well as them. When she woke up, he would make her position quite clear.

* * *

It was dark when Delenda awoke. Her back, while still sore, was no longer dripping icicles of blood. She supposed that was an improvement. She reached back to gingerly feel it. She felt layers of bandages, but also realized at the same time she didn't have a shirt on. She looked around, slowly. She saw Iris was asleep on the other bed. Ignis was seated in a chair by the window on her other side.

"So you are awake," he commented.

She looked quickly down to make sure the blanket was covering her fully. The look wasn't lost on him, and he rolled his eyes.

"I tended your wounds. I was kind of forced to see you," he said matter-of-factly. "But if you have hangups about that after all this time, I am very disappointed in you. You should know me better than that by now."

She flushed with embarrassment. He looked at her sharply, wondering if she had some kind of fever now.

"You will be relieved to know that Iris was the one who took care of your shirt, not I. Although, I had no qualms about doing it myself if need be. You were bleeding out, Delenda, no thanks to your own actions, I might add. You should be grateful you are still alive instead of whining about your shirt, or lack thereof."

Delenda just started back, shocked at his cold condemnation. He could be as nasty as Gladio, she thought.

"Any girl who wakes up stripped is going to have some questions, Ignis" Iris volunteered, the tirade having woken her up.

He raked his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Thank you for the advice, Iris," he returned sarcastically.

He surged up and stood, hovering over Delenda. "I'm tired of you overcompensating for your 'supposed weakness' by holding things in and hiding things from us. The next time you get hurt, use a goddamn potion, even if it's the last one. And tell us you're injured. I'd rather hear it from you than that bastard of an Ardyn. Now, go back to bed. The potion should have taken care of most of it, but your body still has to heal itself."

"But, you guys needed them…"

Why did she always want the last word? He leaned down, his hands pushing down on the bed on either side of her. His face was close to hers, his green eyes dark in the scant light.

"Don't push me. You might not like what you get back."

And with that provocative threat, he strode out of the room.

Iris was even staring after him, aghast. "I have never seen him lose his cool like that," she mused. "I wonder…" she looked back at Delenda, speculatively.

"I'm going back to bed," was all Delenda said. She had managed to piss Ignis off big time, she realized, with a pang of guilt. But even now, she could tell he was holding back. What would happen if he really lost his temper, she wondered.

She had made a mistake. If she had passed out during battle from her injuries, what would have happened to the rest of them? Even if they had run out of potions, she could have used the last of their magic flasks to buy them some time and retreat. She had thought healing them was the priority, but it was very short-sighted. Ignis was right, she thought resignedly. She needed to take care of herself first from now on.

* * *

It was ironic. After fighting tooth and nail to get their car back, they were unable to use it in Altissia. The city had canals, not roads, so the Regalia would not be usable. They had to leave it with Cindy. At least Prompto got some "quality time" in with his intended in the process. Even if that quality time involved him being tongue-tied and awkward the entire time.

The ferry was running. Ardyn had been right about that. Delenda watched the Lucis coastline recede with mixed feelings. She had a lot of bad memories there, to be sure, but it had also become a home of sorts to her. In fact, it felt more like a home to her than Gralea had since her father died. She looked around at her comrades, sitting at various points around the boat. She suspected they were the reason why it felt like home. She had formed a bond with them—they had made her feel like she belonged. Gladio, in his gruff way, treated her like he did his own sister, Iris. With his general good nature, Prompto reminded her of how her brother had been before getting swept up into his research.

Noctis was awkward at times, but he was a dependable comrade, and a good friend. And Ignis—well she didn't want to get too much into her relationship with him. It was too complicated. She looked over at him. He was scanning the ocean as they sailed by, eyes on the horizon. He was probably already thinking of their next move. They had resorted to distant formality since his tirade. She wasn't sure if he was still angry or if planning for Altissia was keeping him serious.

If Delenda had been awestruck at Insomnia the first time she had seen it, it was nothing like her reaction to Altissia. The city was downright gorgeous. The bay, flanked with gigantic statues, held the harbor, teeming with life. The stately buildings, so many of them, lined up along the canals. The canals were as busy as the roads in Gralea—except this traffic was all gondolas.

"This city is so romantic," Prompto exclaimed. "Too bad we couldn't bring Cindy here with us."

"Yeah," Noctis said coyly. "But at least you have your bros here," he added with a wink.

"Delenda isn't…"

"Yeah, but I don't think she will want to be your date, either," Noctis responded.

Delenda took pity on Prompto's crestfallen expression.

"It may not be a date, per se, but I'd be happy to explore the city with you, Prompto," Delenda responded with a smile.

Prompto beamed, but glanced at Ignis warily. "That would be awesome, if you are ok with it, Iggy."

"Hmph. Why do you think you need my permission? It is up to Delenda," he said tersely, and made his way to the customs line.

Any plans they were making to play tourist were cut short once they reached the customs booth. A troop of guards, weapons at the ready, surrounded them.

"King Noctis of Lucis. You and your entourage are coming with us. First Secretary Claustra would like to speak with you," the lead guard said brusquely.

"If I go with you willingly, will you leave my associates alone," Noctis asked cautiously.

"Don't press your luck. All of you are coming," the guard responded.

There was nothing for it. All were led to the stately Government House. The only consolation was that they weren't handcuffed or restrained in any way.

Delenda tried to remember what she knew about Altissia. It kept a careful neutrality, providing a safe haven to both the empire and Lucis. Or at least it did. The fact that they were being taken in under guard made her wonder if their allegiance had changed. Why not, she thought cynically. There was no Lucis left, so why would they care about the dredges of it? Like a vulture, Altissia had waited to see who the stronger party of the 2 kingdoms was, then would toss aside the weaker one to keep themselves protected by the strong. It was a diplomatic game worthy of Ardyn, she thought with disgust.

But then Ardyn had wanted them to come here already. What was going on?

The 5 of them were led to an opulent reception room to the cool their heels while the guards "informed the First Secretary of their arrival."

"So what now," Ignis asked Noctis.

"I see what First Secretary Claustra wants," Noctis replied.

"And if she wants us dead?"

"We never signed the peace treaty, right? That means we never ceded our lands to the empire. I am still King of Lucis. I'm not totally without power or influence."

Gladio looked at him with a new respect. "So you are finally beginning to man up, huh? About time."

They were interrupted by the guard coming to take Noctis to Claustra, leaving the rest where they were.

"I wonder if Luna is here," Prompto asked.

Nobody had an answer and didn't respond. Ignis was checking the windows. They were barred with decorative iron grills. "No exit from here if we need it," he commented. Gladio opened the door, just to be greeted by 2 glaring guards. "Sorry," he muttered gruffly, closing the door again.

"We'd better hope we can comply with what Claustra wants from us," Ignis said. "Our options seem limited otherwise."

* * *

They just about pounced on Noctis when he returned to them.

"Well, what did she want," Gladio demanded.

"She has agreed to allow me and Luna to confront the Hydrean. However, she has very serious concerns for its destructiveness. She would like the rest of you to oversee evacuating the city to keep casualties down."

"It seems too easy. What's her angle," Gladio asked.

"From what she told me, the Hydrean has been acting up lately and Claustra fears for a Starscourge."

Gladio scoffed. "Does she believe she will be abducted by aliens too?"

"I dunno, man, the nights have been getting longer lately," Prompto mused.

"It just means summer is over," Gladio responded.

"Hmm. If Luna believes that too, that might be why she is approaching the Astrals," Ignis said.

Delenda was tired of being in the dark. "What is a Starscourge?"

"It is the 'traditional' reason why we have the Oracle," Noctis responded. "Legends say that 1000 years ago, a 'great evil' befell the land."

"Great evil, really?" Gladio scoffed.

"I'm quoting my dad here. Anyway, this caused an endless night where Daemons wandered around, unchecked. The world was without hope until someone decided to do something about it. He went to the 6 continents of the world at that time and spoke to each of the resident Astrals. You know, Titan, Leviathan, Shiva, Ramuh, Bahamut, and Ifrit. By forming a pact with them and combining their powers they forged the crystal and bequeathed it to Lucis. Anyway, that person became the first Oracle and returned daylight to the world. We still keep an Oracle since tradition says if we don't, there will be no one to stop the darkness. The Lucian kings also pledge to guard the crystal as part of their coronation. This story is the lore behind those traditions."

"And that's all," Gladio returned. "It's just a bedtime story to tell people to stand up to evil or some crap."

"And why is the First Secretary so worried about this," Ignis asked.

"Altissia also has a legend about the endless night. Apparently, before it hit, Leviathan went on a rampage and created a tidal wave that destroyed the city. I guess the original city is now under the water in the harbor. Leviathan is acting up again, so Claustra thinks history may be repeating, if the legend is true. Since Luna and I are here anyway, she decided it wouldn't hurt to have us try to talk sense into Leviathan."

"So, we have the half-assed power of god number one," Delenda said. "But we can't do anything without that ring the empire wanted. How does that fit into all this?"

"I can only go off of what my dad told me, but from what he says the ring actually contains a piece of the crystal and is the only way to fully control the Astrals's powers. The Astrals didn't want to be beholden to any idiot who was able to get hold of the crystal, so they created the ring as a failsafe. They will only respond to the person who has both the ring and the crystal."

"No wonder the empire was tearing the Regalia apart for it," Delenda exclaimed. "If they have the crystal and it, they could control the Gods. And with the magitek, they are already attempting to harness Daemon powers as well. What the hell are they doing!"

"If the Starscourge exists, sounds like the empire could trigger it," Ignis responded.

"But how were we able to prevail against Titan? We didn't have the crystal or the ring," Delenda asked.

"Luna. I wish I could talk to her to figure out what she's doing," Noctis said. "Claustra is keeping her in custody 'elsewhere' until we confront Leviathan. I guess she doesn't want us meeting up with her then running off, leaving her in the lurch."

"Well, sounds like we've got some locals to clear out and a big monster to take on," Prompto said. "When do we start?"

* * *

 **I'm playing with the Starscourge/Astral lore a bit-I had trouble making sense of it in the game, so this is my attempt to fill in the blanks my way. Hope you are ok with this.**


	11. Chapter 11: Delenda of the 7 Seas

**Greetings everyone! Keeping my intro short and to the point this time :) Here is the next installment.**

* * *

Getting the locals out of the way was the priority. Once they were clear, whatever Leviathan did would have little impact. Buildings may be destroyed, but that was nothing compared to a human life. Kicking people out of the city would start a panic though. Luna was able to pave the way.

Noctis and company couldn't get close to her, but they could stand in the crowd and listen to her plea to the people. It was a relief that she wasn't the worse for wear after her attack in Insomnia. She cited the importance of what they were doing—that it would avert the dark times ahead. She reaffirmed her commitment to continuing to give light to the people, and humbly asked them to lend her their homes for awhile so she could commune with Leviathan while keeping them safe.

It was an earnest speech, and she had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Delenda saw firsthand what a gifted leader she was. She would make a fine queen for Noctis if they still wanted to go down that road. She was never really clear on what Noctis's feelings were about the marriage. He was committed to making sure she was protected, but Delenda didn't really see any indication that he was in love with Luna. But then again, royals didn't marry for love. Aristocrats didn't either for that matter. It wasn't a fate Delenda wanted for herself, but then she wasn't a royal. Noctis didn't have a choice, and may just be making the best of things. He was watching Luna with rapt attention as the others, the admiration present in his gaze. Maybe he did care about her, Delenda thought.

Noctis was not the only one emotionally invested in the address. Delenda saw Ravus there too, standing towards the back of the crowd, trying to remain anonymous. As if he ever could be. He struck an imposing presence by default, and his metallic arm automatically made him stand out. He was watching Luna with such raw pain on his face that it hurt Delenda to see it. Did he really care for his sister? But if he did, why was he supporting the empire? But then again, why was Delenda supporting Lucis? Times were strange since the attack on Insomnia.

Luna's address to the people definitely made things easier. They began packing their essentials and began to line the canals in an orderly fashion to evacuate. Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio were to oversee the evacuation and keep order. Delenda was torn: with this many people to evacuate, it would be good to lend a hand to the other three, but then again, her knowledge of magic might be of better use against Leviathan if needed. Since ice magic had worked well against Titan, she figured lightning might be a good resource for a water being like Leviathan.

She had been able to visit the library in Altissia that had many volumes on how to mix spells. She had recently concocted "level 2" fire, ice, and lightning spells. If they worked right, they would only affect the target, meaning that there would be little risk of it hitting allies as well. She hadn't tested that part yet, but if it worked, it would definitely be an improvement.

It was sheer numbers that clinched her decision: with 3 of the 5 of them dealing with the evacuation and just 2 (Noctis and Luna) left to deal with Leviathan, their side was short a person. She didn't ask, but told the team outright that she was going with Noctis.

It was Gladio who had the fit. "It's too dangerous. Let Noctis and Luna handle it. They are the ones that have the connection to these things."

"I'm not asking for your permission, Gladio," she said. "I'm going."

"We could toss you into the gondola with us and sail off," Gladio warned.

"Try it, you'll regret it," she taunted, fingering one of her magic vials. It was an empty threat, really. They knew full well she would never inflict it on them and could have called her bluff at any time.

Instead, Ignis gave her a measuring glance. "Have you perfected your level 2 magic?"

"I think so. I can't be sure until I use it, and there is no safe place around to do that."

He conceded the point with a nod. "While I'm not comfortable with you testing out your magic in the field, sheer numbers aren't on our side. You going with Noctis would even the odds a bit."

So, he understood her reasoning, she thought with relief.

"I suppose I don't need to tell you to be careful," he asked her.

"You just did," she said with a wink. "And you, all of you, take care of yourselves."

She met Ignis's gaze one more time. She knew how dangerous this was for everyone. When Leviathan attacked, it would create a panic for whoever was left, and panic could turn to violence at any time. This could be the last time she saw Ignis, she realized with a pang. She had the strangest urge to run to Ignis and…what was she thinking?

"Luna is already at the shrine. We need to hurry," Noctis said. He grabbed her hand, and they warped.

* * *

Delenda had never warped with Noctis before. It was a strange experience. It was as though she was in a bubble moving normally, and everything outside that bubble was going 1000 miles an hour. They arrived at the north bay, where Leviathan dwelled. It wasn't out yet, but Luna was already there. The "shrine" was nothing but a platform jutting out over the bay. She had a trident in her hand, an artifact Claustra had lent her for the summoning.

Luna turned their direction and nodded. Did she even remember her, Delenda wondered.

Then Luna began twirling the trident. "I Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae, 50th Oracle of Lucis, humbly beseech you, Leviathan of the deep, please lend us your power."

As if on cue, all hell broke loose, but not in the ocean. Suddenly, Delenda heard the screech of imperial airships. They were here? Were they attacking the city? Why now?

"Claustra must have expected this," Noctis exclaimed. "I thought it was fishy that she wanted warriors to help with evacuation duty."

Delenda and Noctis were still a ways up the path from Luna. Delenda thought quickly. "You, go down to Luna. I will stay here and take down any imperials that come our way."

He didn't question her, and did just what she said.

They were fighting a war on 3 fronts now. Ignis and his team were taking on the empire in the city, Noctis and Luna were taking on Leviathan, and Delenda would take on any imperials that tried to interrupt them. She didn't even want to think about what the empire's game was now. Had Ardyn led them into a trap again?

Even though she was scanning the skies and streets behind them to take care of any guard that came their way, she was still distracted by Leviathan's entrance. The roar of the entire ocean as it emerged was deafening. Even though she should be jaded having already seen Titan, she was unprepared for the sheer size of this sea monster. It looked like every mariner's nightmare come to life. Dark, sleek, and deadly, it looked like it could swoop upon any ship it wanted at any time, and tear it apart. Noctis and Luna were like ants against it. Delenda fingered her magic vials. She was a naïve fool. These pitiful vials could do nothing against it, and she was too far away.

Then she remembered how well the ice had done against Titan and took heart. Maybe she would have a chance. She began inching closer, just to hear the beast snarl. One of its tentacles smashed the platform where Luna and Noctis were standing. The shockwave knocked Delenda over. When she got to her feet, she surveyed the scene below. There would be no way Delenda could get to the platform now. Leviathan had smashed the pathway to the shrine, leaving a rubble-strewn, ocean-filled gap between her and her comrades. Luna was standing on the other side, swaying, but still standing firm, trident in her hand. Delenda didn't see Noctis, she realized with a spurt of alarm.

"I ask you again, Hydrean of the Deep, please help us. We beg you."

It roar-talked like Titan did. Delenda couldn't understand what it was saying, but it sounded angry. Its tentacles lashed out again, and this time Noctis was tossed, unconscious at Luna's feet.

Delenda gasped. She had never seen Noctis taken down so easily. At some level, since they had beaten Titan, and were even stronger now than before, she thought Leviathan would have been easy. She was wrong, so wrong. She ran to her edge of the abyss, potion in hand to toss to Luna to pass to Noctis.

"Excuse me, my dear," came an irritatingly familiar voice behind her. Then she was pushed, into the abyss. She saw the deep, black water, strewn with sharp rubble rising up quickly to meet her. She was going to be impaled or drowned, or a horrific combination of the two…

She didn't make impact. Suddenly, things were rewinding. Her distance to death was increasing. She was being levitated, she realized with surprise. Could magic vials do that, she wondered? She was deposited on Luna's side of the platform. Luna's raised hand dropped, and Delenda was dropped gently to her feet. Luna had saved her, Delenda realized, dazedly.

It was not without cost though. Luna was breathing hard, and her knees were buckling.

"Thanks," Delenda squeaked.

"Bravo, Luna" Ardyn responded, clapping his hands. "Just what I would expect out of an Oracle."

How had he made it across the gap? Luna looked at him in shock, like she had just seen a ghost. Maybe he was the one who knocked her unconscious in Insomnia after all? Luna's shocked look switched to sheer loathing. So, apparently even the bastion of goodness and purity hated him, Delenda thought bemusedly.

He just smirked and gave an "oh well, what you are going to do" shrug, and advanced towards Noctis, who was still on the ground, but beginning to stir.

Delenda moved fast so that she stood between him and Noctis, clutching one of her new magic vials. Leviathan seemed to be watching the events now rather than attacking, so was strangely the lesser of two evils at the moment. Luna had the same idea, and stood next to Delenda, also shielding Noctis.

Ardyn sized up the tableau, customary amusement on his face.

"Ah, how touching. Noctis's queen and consort banding together to protect their King," he taunted.

Blazing hot fury surged through Delenda. How dare that son of bitch ever use that term in the context of the 2 of them, or any of them? She raised her hand to toss a magic vial in his smug face, only for him to grab her arm in a bruising grip and toss her aside brutally. "A mistress is such a complication to a marriage. I took care of it for you," she heard him say as she fell off the side of the platform, plummeting again to the water below.

There was no rubble and a short drop here, but the water was still too deep. For a few terrified moments, Delenda was submerged in the airless darkness, struggling to find the light before she drowned. Then she broke the surface with a series of desperate gasps.

This made her a captive audience to murder. "Come now, your majesty, your queen awaits," Ardyn spoke sarcastically. And so saying, he turned and stabbed a dagger deep into Luna's side. Delenda cried out. Noctis staggered forward, just to have Ardyn give him a shove that hurled him into the water as well.

Luna lurched up, blood staining the bright white dress she was wearing, and turned to confront Ardyn. "We—are finishing this," she said with clenched teeth.

"That means you need the Ring of the Lucii to complete it. Where is it, Oracle Dear," he said affably, before grabbing her throat and pulling her towards him.

"I will die before I tell you."

He sized her up. "I believe you," he said simply, then tossed her brutally to the ground, her head hitting the concrete with a sickening thud.

An airship arrived then. They were sitting ducks, Delenda realized. Ardyn climbed in then turned back to face them. "It's been fun all of you. Farewell!" Then flew off.

Delenda began to look frantically for a way out of the water. She had to see to Luna and Noctis. But to her surprise, Luna was standing. It was obvious she was in bad shape, though. Blood was gushing down her forehead, leaving the unbloodied skin chalk white in comparison. The blood stain on her side was spreading. Delenda had no clue how Luna was still standing.

"I—now call upon Ramuh, the Fulgarian, and Shiva, the Glacian, please lend your power to Noctis."

Then a sphere of yellow and white light surrounded Noctis in the water, levitating him so that he was eye to eye with Leviathan. Luna then dropped to her knees, retching.

Delenda couldn't hear what Noctis was saying to Leviathan, but then there was more roar-talking, then she saw a tentacle snaking its way towards her with deadly speed. She didn't even have the chance to try swimming away when it wrapped itself around her. She struggled desperately against its hold, the gut-clenching feeling of cold limpid seaweed entangling her legs filling her with so much horror that she screamed in pure terror.

"No—wait," Luna said weakly. She's trying to help you."

It (she, seriously?) deposited Delenda gently back on the platform.

She stared at Leviathan, surprised, then the creature raised her tentacles to attack Noctis. He was ready, and countered with even more speed and power than he had before.

Delenda switched her attention to Luna. There was nothing she could do for her. Her bag of vials had been knocked in the water when Ardyn hit her, so she had nothing to heal with. She ripped off a shirt sleeve to use as a bandage to apply pressure to Luna's knife wound. Luna's hands, ice-cold, took hers. She felt an object being placed into them.

"Please, give this to Noctis. It—already has-Ramuh's and Shiva's power in it. Once he puts it on, it will- absorb Titan's and Leviathan's as well. Bahamut and Ifrit are—in Gralea. They-are the last 2 he will need to stop the Starscourge."

Luna had given her the Ring of the Lucii! She realized in shock.

"So, the Starscourge is coming?"

"Yes. And Ardyn will—be the harbinger of it. He, has my powers. He—was—the first-"

Luna's life had left her. The world was now without an Oracle.

* * *

What did one do, or say, after such a random, senseless death? Delenda stood by in numb shock as Noctis cradled Luna's limp body in his arms, restrained but painful sobbing into her shoulder. He had apparently won his battle with Leviathan, but had lost so much more. Delenda had been in that spot before, trying to wrestle with grief, but never like this. They had kept her away from her mother at the end, as she succumbed to her long illness; and as her father had died in battle she only learned of it through an official messenger. She had only seen them in repose at their funerals. She had not seen them die right in front of her, making the abrupt, painful transition.

She was useless. All she could do was toss potions around. Any idiot could do that. And she hadn't even been able to hold onto them. It was her fault that Luna had died. She had wasted away before her and all Delenda could do was watch. Rather than ask about the Starscourge, she should have told her to stay with them, or told her to rest. All she had done was interrogate her as she lay dying.

And what could she say or do to Noctis? He was completely broken, destroyed. He did love her, Delenda thought with despair. She wished the others were here. They would have known what to do. She needed Ignis's calm good sense right now, to stand at her side, to ask the right questions to get them moving forward again. Even Gladio's stoic toughness to use as an example or Prompto's effusive sympathy would have been welcome. Instead, Noctis was stuck with her.

They were so focused on their shock and grief that they did not hear the imperial soldier coming up from behind them. The white-armored man stepped right past Delenda, causing her to gasp. If he had come to kill them, they would have been easy pickings.

Ravus stared at his sister, still in Noctis's arms. He dropped to his knees, defeated. The mighty soldier had not been strong enough to protect his sister, to ease her way down her deadly path. Noctis looked up, meeting his eyes. Then he released Luna gently and knelt before Ravus, offering his weapon hilt-first. He was surrendering, Delenda realized.

Ravus didn't take the offered weapon. He strode over to Luna and picked her up, as gently as Noctis had.

"I will see to it that she's buried in state in the family plot in Tenebrae," Ravus said, his voice barely keeping together. "She—she would want you to finish what she started. Please, Noctis, finish this, for her."

Delenda had to speak up. "But, Sir Ravus, the other Astrals are in Gralea. We might have to attack the empire to…"

He turned on her, savagely.

"Do you think I care about that right now? She was a bloody fool! She wanted to save this world from itself and didn't care if she had to die to do it. I did my best to turn her back from this path, but I failed at that like I did everything else." He turned to Noctis. "I even tried to use your damned Ring of the Lucii myself to gain the power to stop her, but I 'was not deemed worthy' and lost my arm in the process."

"Ravus, I," Noctis started.

Ravus went on, the anger out his voice, replaced with despair. "That ring will answer to you, and only you, Noctis. The crystal too. It's in Gralea as well. You need to do this since it is apparent that I cannot. The empire should be falling back. There is a freighter that runs between here and the Western Island that will take on any passenger and vehicle in secret for the right price. They would be your best bet for getting to Gralea. Go to the harbor and ask for _The Black Moogle_."

An airship arrived to take him and Luna away. At this point, Delenda didn't care if the soldiers on board chose to attack. She was beaten down, defeated, and if they had killed her at that moment, she wouldn't have cared. Noctis looked at it with dispassionate interest. It seemed he felt the same way. The ship left them alone.

"Noctis, I—Luna wanted you to have this." Delenda gave him the Ring of the Lucii.

"She had it. All along?"

"Yes." She didn't get into everything Luna had said. Things were still too raw.

He put the ring on. Instantly, silver and blue lights radiated around Noctis, narrowing onto, and quickly disappearing into, the ring. Delenda watched Noctis carefully to see if this transfer of power was making him ill. He watched it, impassively.

"We should find the others," he said tersely.


	12. Chapter 12: The Thing About Grief

**Happy June everyone! Here is the next chapter-the requisite "getting over their grief and moving on" chapter. It won't feature (game SPOILERS) a train, swamp, blind Ignis, or a Marlboro, but it does have a cameo from an old frenemy and some other goodies. Hope this makes up for it and hope you enjoy. Comments, etc are appreciated as always.**

* * *

Between Leviathan's rampage around the north bay and the empire's attack elsewhere, Altissia had taken quite a bit of damage. For lack of a better place to go, the quintet reconvened at Claustra's mansion. It had taken quite a bit of damage, but several rooms on the second floor were still habitable.

Delenda almost wept in relief when she saw Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio stroll in. She was so happy that they were ok. Ignis surveyed Noctis and Delenda intently when they returned. He sized up Delenda, noticing her sodden hair and clothes, her ripped sleeve, and her bleeding lip from where she had bitten it during Ardyn's strike. She met his gaze boldly, noticing the bloody gash on his cheek. As Gladio said, an inch or two higher and the gash would have blinded him.

From what Gladio said, they had spent more time fighting the empire than helping with the evacuation. Most of the populace had fled in a panic, and the team had to engage the empire to keep them away from the refugees. The empire wasn't targeting them specifically, but the tightly packed buildings could have caused substantial collateral damage.

"So, what happened with you guys? Where's Luna," Prompto asked.

Ignis could decipher their reactions perfectly. "I'm sorry, Noct," he said gently.

Prompto still didn't get it. "What are you sorry for," he asked.

"Luna is, was, slain." Delenda said, softly. She couldn't bring herself to say "dead" or "killed". "Slain" distanced herself from it a tiny bit.

"What do you mean she's dead? Dead, dead?" Prompto exclaimed.

Noctis's pained gaze when he glared up at Prompto said it all. Prompto deflated like a balloon. Delenda could see tears in his eyes. It broke the dam for her. She could feel herself well up as well. She sobbed, despite herself.

Ignis glanced her way sharply. "Gladio, will you take Prompto somewhere where he can collect himself?"

Gladio led a grief-stricken Prompto away.

"What happened," Ignis asked coldly, intently.

His cold, clipped voice gave Delenda and Noctis the calm they needed. He brought them back to the point. They were able to tell the story without falling apart. She knew more than Noctis, who had been unconscious when Ardyn arrived, but he could report what Leviathan had said. For what it's worth, she would only give Noctis her power if he could win a solo fight with her. She had even agreed to extract Delenda from the water before the fight, "helping her" as Luna had said. It explained Leviathan's actions a bit, but made Delenda feel like a liability, again.

Things got tense when Delenda reported Luna's last words. It took all she had to keep in control.

Ignis blinked. Delenda wondered if he was getting misty-eyed too.

"So, Ardyn will bring about the Starscourge, and we need to get to Gralea to get the last 2 Astrals and the crystal? And we can do that by stowing away on the _Black Moogle_? I would give much to know what Ardyn is 'the first' of. In order to make him answer for what he's done to us all, we need to know what we're dealing with. You know him more than we do, Delenda? Anything you can add?"

"Despite the fact I worked with him for 4 years, I know nothing more about him than you do. He's impossible to predict, loves messing with your head if he can, and from what I know now, is totally insane. I have no idea what his agenda is. He's been helping us get to the Astrals even though it seems against the empire's plan. But then today," she shuddered. "I don't know what his end game is and I don't know if I want to know anymore."

"Why would he kill Luna," Noctis demanded.

"I don't know! He always claimed he wanted peace, but like everything else he's said, that was obviously a lie. I don't know what he would gain from it."

"That's the point," Ignis said. "Despite his apparent randomness, he wouldn't have been made Chancellor if he didn't know what he was doing. I think he has something to gain with everything he does, and in order for us to settle things, we need to find out what."

"Good luck with that," Noctis said sarcastically.

"Well," Delenda mused. "I wonder if his offer to report back on your doings in exchange for immunity is still valid. Reporting back to him would get me close to him, so maybe I could find out his end game."

"No way!" Noctis exclaimed."

"Are you forgetting, this is the man who has stabbed a woman to death and tried to kill you twice already," Ignis asked angrily. "Do you really think I will let you go anywhere near him now?"

It wasn't really a serious idea, but she resented Ignis thinking she needed his permission for anything. "I was thinking out loud. It's not like I thought it was a good plan. But, you are forgetting, I am an adult in charge of my own actions. You have no authority over 'letting' me do anything. You can 'recommend' things, but I don't have to accept them."

After the events of the day, she should have known better than to test him.

His eyes narrowed. "I recall Gladio saying something about forcing you into the gondola with us earlier to save you from yourself? Maybe he has the right of it," he said darkly, taking a step closer to her.

"As I told him, try it, you'll regret it."

He took another step. She stood her ground, so he was standing far too close to her. Close enough she could feel his body heat. He looked her up and down scathingly. "How? I don't see any magic vials on you right now."

She winced. It always came back to that. If she had had them…

She turned and walked blindly away. The sobs were bubbling up and she had to get away before she totally lost it.

"Delenda," she heard Ignis say pleadingly. She got a closed door between them before she wept her heart out.

* * *

The thing about grief is that it seems to exaggerate the individual flaws of the person grieving. Each member of the party grieved in their own way based on their personality defects. Noctis completely shut down, trapped in his own world, greeting anyone who tried to get in with monosyllabic responses and general moroseness. Prompto was vocal in his grief, lost, wondering what they were going to do, to the point where people couldn't listen to him anymore. Ignis was as collected as always, but there was an underlying disengagement behind it. He seemed to be avoiding any discussion or reminder of what happened, and be leaving everyone alone to grieve. Gladio responded in bitter fury, in one breath talking about how he was going to strangle Ardyn with his own hands for what he did to Luna, and the next breath reviling Noctis for being an "emo prick" and to "man up" and "move on."

As for Delenda, Luna's death preyed on her guilt and underlying insecurities. She hadn't bothered to craft more magic flasks for herself. What was the point? They were useless anyway as she was useless. She was the token, as she feared. If she really wanted to help the team, she would know all about Ardyn, but she didn't. She worked with him for 4 years, and knew even less than the rest of the team did. She still couldn't believe he had done what he had done She suspected that he would be a puppetmaster, pulling the strings behind the scenes but never doing the dirty work himself. He had proven her wrong, and she didn't like making mistakes. The fact that she had served him at all at any point made her feel dirty.

In deference to Noctis's grief, they stayed in Altissia. Claustra had given them asylum for now, but made it clear it was temporary. She didn't want the empire to attack them again due to Noctis's presence. So they stayed in limbo, waiting for Noctis to recover, waiting for him to decide what to do next, hoping they wouldn't get kicked out. The endless waiting was fraying their tempers. It was inevitable that someone would snap.

Unsurprisingly, it was Gladio. Delenda heard him yelling at Noctis. "So she's dead. She wanted you to continue her quest, damn it. What do you think she would say if she saw you now?"

"Shut up, Gladio," he responded.

"No, you listen to me! You're king now, but instead you mope here like a whiny bitch! Get off your ass and do something for a change."

"I said SHUT UP!"

Delenda raced in to intervene, but Gladio was already storming off.

Delenda looked at Noctis, really looked at him, for the first time in 2 weeks. He looked pale, worn down.

"Do you want to talk about it," she asked him, gently.

"Hmph" was his only response as he turned away.

"I know how hard it must be. I know how much you loved her. There is nothing I can do to stop it, but just know that I'm here to talk if you want to." Delenda knew she wasn't much of a counselor, but somebody had to offer at this point. Things couldn't go on the way they were going.

Noctis turned to her then and spoke in a desperate rush.

"That's the thing. I don't know if I loved her. We visited each other often as children, but was that really enough to base marriage on? I still don't know if I saw her as a future wife or just as the embodiment of an ideal of hope and light. Heck, maybe I even saw her as a sister to some degree which is even grosser seeing as I was set to marry her. I don't know."

"But you still wanted to protect her."

He laughed derisively. "Did I? If I did, maybe I would have caught up to her sooner. If I had done one less hunt, one less fishing excursion, one less favor for a random passersby, maybe I could have saved her."

"That's what this is about? You feel guilty? I'm the one to blame. I hadn't been able to save Luna despite having been right there. I couldn't even have a potion handy and that's all I'm good for. I wasn't even able to help you and instead had to be rescued by the very thing you were fighting. You talk about what could have been? I was right there and failed. Things could be worse for you. You could be me."

"If you two are done blaming yourselves, you might want to look at the facts here," Ignis interjected, having come in to see what was going on.

"What, the fact that I screwed up," Noctis snapped.

"What would have happened if neither of you had been there?"

"How the hell should I know," Noctis returned angrily.

Ignis continued. "We can only speculate, but it's very likely that Ardyn would have killed Luna anyway and taken the Ring of the Lucii for himself. What do you think would happen if Ardyn had both the crystal and the ring? Exactly," he said dryly as he saw their looks of horror. "Same situation, worse outcome. And as for you," he turned to Delenda. "I have no idea what Ardyn was planning to do to Noctis while he was unconscious, but I'm glad you stepped in to stop it. Your instincts about him have been on target so far, and you shouldn't doubt them. What happened to Luna is horrible, but we need to focus on what we have left. We have the Ring of the Lucii, filled with 4 Astral's powers. We have the means to get to Gralea to obtain the rest as well as reclaim the crystal they stole from us. Whether it's to fight the Empire and Ardyn for revenge or to avert the darkness that will come unchecked now, we have what we need to accomplish it."

"I may not be able to do much, but I still know my way around Gralea. If you let me come with you, I can provide you whatever location intel I can," Delenda said, firmly.

Ignis sighed. "Honestly, Delenda, I'm not sure where this low self-esteem of yours comes from. I think I can speak for all of us when I say you are more than welcome with us any time."

"Us, or just you," Noctis returned coyly. Apparently his sense of humor was returning.

"Me, anyway," Ignis said firmly.

"Speaking as King of Insomnia," Noctis began in exaggeratedly lofty tones. "Eh, what the hell? Exactly what he said, Delenda. Suit up. We'll head out in the morning."

* * *

It was easier than expected to obtain passage on _The Black Moogle_. They didn't have to go to a shady bar or use a secret code word. They just told Claustra that they needed to get to Gralea and she set the wheels in motion. It was in her best interest though to get them out of town.

If Delenda thought the way across the sea via airship was tedious and long, the ride across via ship was even longer. Prompto fell prey to seasickness almost immediately, to Gladio's disgust. Most of the party was grim, which was to be expected after what happened and what was to come. However, it made Delenda feel alone. The bond that the group had shared, while still present, was strained. She missed the good-natured ribbing, the joking, and the silent support. Now they were together in name only. She wasn't sure what it meant for her, having never been part of the core group. When they reached the empire, would they be reminded that she had once been part of it and shut her out? She didn't want to think that they would become hostile, but they could abandon her, which would hurt.

The days were becoming gradually shorter, and not because seasons were changing. There was only about 6 hours of light now, when there used to be 10-12 hours. It couldn't be a coincidence. The world needed an Oracle to keep the normal flow of time, and they no longer had one. Delenda was standing on the deck, letting the brisk breezes drift over her, watching the sunset. It had become a tradition for her, in case it was the last one they would get. Ignis joined her.

"The captain says we should reach Tenebrae in the 'morning'," he ventured. "From there, we will take the Regalia into Gralea."

She did the quick math. "If things are as they were, it should be a 6 hour drive or so to Gralea from there."

"I have to ask. Are you up for this? We will be taking on your homeland after all. You may have to confront family, friends. We, I, don't want you having to face that."

Delenda looked away from Ignis, briefly to organize her thoughts. "The only one there I'm worried about is my brother. He's not a fighter though, so I hope we don't have to face him. Otherwise, there is no one left there for me. I don't really have friends. I was always too devoted to my work to have any I guess. And all for nothing," she added bitterly.

"Well, you have friends now. All 4 of us."

She looked at him in surprise. "But, everything I've put Noctis through. I'm the one who told him his world was destroyed, and couldn't save his fiancee. How can you still be friends with me after all of that?"

"By that logic, all of us failed him. We weren't there to protect Insomnia or his father, and we weren't there for Luna, either. Yet, we're still together, to the bitter end. That's how it works."

"But, what about Gladio? I get the impression he's kind of mad at me."

Ignis smirked. "That is Gladio's way. You see how he treats Prompto, right? Yet they're still the best of friends. He's got your back as you have his."

Beneath Ignis's prosaic words, there was a truth to it. He, maybe all of them, actually did care about her. She swallowed hard, trying to keep from crying.

"Ignis, I—don't know what will happen when we land, but I promise you can all trust me. If I fail, it's because of lack of skill, not lack of loyalty."

"I know," he said gently. "You don't even need to say it. Not that I doubt your skill, of course. I just don't doubt your loyalty. I never have."

He was looking at her intently. She stared back, increasing awareness between them. He was going to kiss her, she thought, and she wanted him to. Her eyes fluttered closed…

"Damn it! Why did I volunteer to bunk with Prompto," Noctis complained as he approached them. "He's in the bathroom again."

Ignis stepped away nonchalantly. The spell was broken. "If this is a hint that you need my lavatory, here's my room key."

"Nah, I'm good. Just tired of Prompto puking his guts out. Guess he'll never be the badass pirate he always wanted to be."

"Well, he can always make himself a pirate character in that video game he plays, right" Delenda asked.

Noctis laughed. "He could. I need to remind him of that," he said coyly, clearly set to go back and razz his friend.

"It is getting dark out here," Ignis said. "I think we should all adjourn to our rooms for the evening."

As getting away from Ignis before she did something she'd regret was top of her list, Delenda thought this was a great idea.

* * *

They stayed in Tenebrae just long enough to retrieve the Regalia and fuel up. It was a place of mourning. Everyone was dressed in black, grieving for their beloved Oracle. It was as though the heart of the kingdom had been cut out. It was painful to see.

Gas stations were the same the world over, though. Seeing the same hum-drum gas pumps and generic convenience store was a relief. Prompto and Ignis went inside to get supplies and pick up whatever information they could. Noctis was engaged in the unprincely activity of fueling up, leaning against the side of the car. Gladio was standing guard as usual. Delenda was pacing around outside the car to stretch her legs when she heard the familiar sultry voice:

"Hey Pretty Boy, fancy seeing you here."

It was Aranea. She was leaning against her car on the other side of the pump, also fueling up.

Delenda ran over to Noctis and Gladio who were getting ready to attack.

Gladio reached Aranea first and lunged with his sword. She parried it with such speed and strength that it drew sparks, luckily not starting a fire in the process. Even Gladio was impressed at her reaction time. "At ease, Beefcake. I'm not here to fight you. Just fueling up this old girl," Aranea said, gesturing to her car. "Besides, it's not my job to fight you anymore. I quit."

"Why," Gladio asked, tersely.

"The empire. It's not what it was when I started. They've got Daemons fighting for them now. It was one thing when it was robots, but monsters…I'm not supporting that."

"What's going on in Gralea," Delenda asked, figuring they had a prime source.

"Dunno. Haven't been back since before I fought you. I've heard it's gotten pretty bad. If you're going, best be prepared for a fight."

"We've seen what you can do in a fight. We'd be honored if you would join us," Noctis said. He could be as classy as Ignis, Delenda mused.

Aranea thought for a moment. "Nah. I'm good here. We're setting up a defense force here. Without the Oracle or her brother around, there's lots of riff-raff who think they can start something here. But wait a minute." She rummaged around in her trunk to emerge with a box. "I've got some battle gear in here. Don't remember what though. Take it. You'll need it."

Noctis took the box with a brusque "thank you."

Aranea nodded in acknowledgement then turned back to Gladio. "Good luck out there. If you make it back, look me up. I'd love to spar with you again," and to everyone's surprise she leaned over and kissed Gladio on the cheek.

"Woah," Prompto said, having returned from the convenience store just in time to catch the exchange.

She drove off, leaving Gladio standing there, bright red.

"You sly devil, you," Noctis mocked.

"Eh, shut up," Gladio returned.

"Gladio and Aranea sitting in a tree," Prompto started next, just to get buffeted against the car.

Ignis and Delenda didn't say anything, but looked at each other in amusement before moving on.


	13. Chapter 13: House of Horrors

**Greetings everyone! I know it's only been a couple of days since the last chapter, but I decided to post another one. Hope I'm not flooding with too much story! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The approach to Gralea was a nightmare for Delenda. She was seeing the familiar sites, but through a dark, evil lens. Night seemed endless here—it had gotten dark an hour or 2 out of Tenebrae and was still dark now. It was an abrupt darkness, no sunset, just sudden blackness. And the Daemons were out in full force, big ones. Cindy had placed special "daylight imitating" headlights on their car the last time she souped it up, so the monsters stayed out of their way, but they could see the black shapes in the darkness on the side of the road.

Where were all the people, Delenda wondered. The last time she had been through here, it was teeming with life and traffic. Now it was an empty wasteland. What the hell happened while she was gone?

"Um, guys," Prompto broke the tense silence. "Do we even know were in Gralea Bahamut and Ifrit are?"

Delenda had been thinking about that as well, and came to the one conclusion she could. "My brother probably knows. We can ask him."

"And your brother will just tell us," Gladio asked sarcastically.

"We can find out right now. I will call him," Delenda said, whipping out her cell phone.

"Wait," Ignis said. "It would be better if we pay him a visit in person to catch him by surprise. I trust you, Delenda, but I don't trust him. The less warning he has, the better."

"He will probably be at the Keep, then. Keep taking the main road in, Noctis, and I will tell you where to turn." He was the one driving this time.

There were no guards at the gate of the city, which was even more disturbing. The city, her former home, seemed abandoned.

"I don't like this," Prompto said. "This is creepy."

"I know," Delenda said. "What could have happened? Turn here, Noctis."

The Keep was a tall metal building towards the center of the city. A mechanized, militaristic wonder that screamed "we are playing God" kind of power. The only times Delenda had ever been here were when she was meeting her brother for lunch. She always hated it.

And loitering in front if it were hordes of giant Daemons.

"I see a Behemoth in there," Gladio said, pointing to the horde.

"I see a fight we can't win," Ignis responded.

Noctis stopped the car. "There's a gate in the way. Those monsters will tear us apart before we get it open. We'll need to crash through."

"You mean ram it with the Regalia," Gladio asked, sharply.

"Do you have any better ideas," he snapped.

"Fine, it's your car anyway," Gladio backed down, surly.

"Safety precautions first," Ignis said. "Everyone buckle up. We will put the top up so nobody gets thrown out during the impact. Gladio, you move to the front seat. Delenda, you come back here with me."

"Want me to go through the windshield," Gladio asked.

"He means you are built like a tank, Gladio, so can take it," Prompto ribbed back.

"You ready for this," Noctis asked, once all the preparations were made.

"No, but whatever," Gladio responded.

"Ok, here we go," he exclaimed, then stomped hard on the accelerator.

Delenda watched the solid gate getting closer and closer. Dimly, she noticed the monsters scuttle out of the way of the light. Ignis put his arm tightly around her, and she closed her eyes as they reached the point of no return, and braced for impact.

* * *

"Should you move her," in Gladio's voice was the first thing Delenda remembered. His voice was fuzzy at first, indistinct.

"We must," Ignis said sharply, then she opened her eyes slowly to see him using his dagger to cut her seatbelt loose. Then Gladio reached in and pulled her out with more strength than finesse.

Her legs wobbled a minute while she took stock of her surroundings. The car was a total loss, the front end crushed and on fire. The monsters were beginning to regroup and were looking their way with beastly interest.

Her head hurt. She touched the middle of her forehead and it came back bloody.

"Hold still," Ignis said firmly as he poured some potion on her forehead. It stung a little, but the bleeding was slowing.

"How long was I out," she asked.

"Only about a minute. You hit your head when we crashed. Sorry, but we've got to keep moving."

"There's an entrance this way," Noctis said, pointing to a door a short way from the driver's side of the car.

The rest of the team was congregated on the passenger side, but Gladio saw the danger. The gas tank had ruptured, and was leaking towards the open flames under the hood.

"Get back," he ordered.

They only had a few seconds before the car exploded. It took the magic vials with it, leaving an eruption of ice, fire, and lightning. As a send-off to the mighty Regalia, it was an epic way to go. The flash was enough to frighten off the monsters, leaving Delenda, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio huddled behind a dumpster, breathing hard in the aftermath.

Gladio peeked out, sword drawn. "We aren't getting through that way."

Delenda looked as well. The car was still burning with a radius of fire all the way around it. They would burn to death trying to get where Noctis had been. Speaking of Noctis, where was he?

"Noct!" Ignis called out several times. There was no response.

They looked at each other, grimly, trying to figure out what to do.

Ignis was the first to recover. "For now we should assume Noct made it through that door he mentioned. He's fast and was already pretty close to it so it's probable that he made it. We need to find our own way in."

They kept moving past the car until they got a safe distance from it. At that point, they broke open the first door they could find and made their way into the imperial stronghold.

The door opened into a maintenance hallway. Narrow, all metal, with flickering lights. It looked like the kind of place where monsters would jump out around every corner. Ignis apparently thought so.

"Prompto, give Delenda your other gun."

He did as he was bid. "Careful, Delenda. I took the safety off. You press the trigger, and it will go off. To use it, just point and shoot at you want to hit. Like a camera, you know. Piece of cake."

Delenda seriously doubted it was that easy, but she took the gun, nervously. She remembered the last time she had tried using one, and the bitter failure that resulted. She didn't have a choice though. They had placed all the magic vials in the trunk before the planned crash so that they wouldn't rupture in her lap on impact. She needed a weapon where they were going. She would prefer not learning how to use it in an actual combat situation, but it couldn't be helped.

"Welcome, Soldiers of Insomnia. Oh, and you, Delenda" came Ardyn's voice over the intercom.

Prompto looked around nervously, evidently thinking Ardyn had some kind of 6th sense that they had arrived.

"It's just a surveillance system," Delenda said prosaically. "He's watching us through security cameras. He has no dark powers. He's just an asshole."

"Oh, Delenda, you tease. You have such a way with compliments," Ardyn's voice responded, pure oil in his voice.

She gritted her teeth. "And audio systems too apparently."

"Well, since you can apparently hear us," Ignis ventured next. "Where is Noctis?"

The intercom stayed stone silent. Gladio punched the wall in frustration. "He wants you to do this, Gladio," Delenda said. "Don't buy into it, any of you."

Delenda saw the reality before they did: they were trapped in a house of horrors and Ardyn was their guide. They would have to keep it together to ensure he didn't drive them mad.

* * *

"What do we do now," Prompto asked, a few hallways later.

"Oh, ask Iggy. He seems to know all," responded the intercom.

They ignored Ardyn, clenching their fists in frustration. They decided to ask Delenda to spite him, eliciting a smug chuckle from the speakers.

"What do you know about this place," Ignis asked her. Then he gave a cautious glance to the ceiling to make sure Arydn wasn't going to heckle them again. He stayed silent.

"I know my brother's office is on the 6th floor, so if I can find out what floor we're on and find a way up, we should be able to find it."

"It's a big building," Prompto said.

"You are welcome to follow Ardyn's advice and ask somebody else then," she snapped.

"Why not ask me? I have a whole map to the place right next to me. I could tell you where his office is, for a price," Ardyn responded.

Ignis sighed wearily. "And what price would that be?"

A door opened next to them, revealing a big room with 4 large Daemons.

"Slay them all in 5 minutes and I will tell you where his office is. And if it takes you 5 minute one second, no deal."

The string of profanity Gladio uttered was enough to make Prompto turn to him, scandalized. Then they were all running forward to kill.

The good thing about the monsters being so big was that they were an easy target. Delenda didn't have time to think about how easy it was or not to use a gun, or what the ethics of it all were. She just stood towards the edge of the room so she could not be flanked, and fired. She was definitely making hits—she could see the wounds appearing, but was it enough? The other 3 were focusing on one monster at a time to bring it down, so she kept shooting at the other creatures, to keep them from distracting the team. She followed the wall, keeping her distance from the remaining monsters as they began moving her way.

It was so much easier when they were down to the last one. It was much faster taking it down with the full team.

"Bravo, and with seconds to spare," came the intercom. "Cicero Octavius Augustus Achilleus's office is 615, next to the ebony station," Ardyn said coyly. "There's an elevator in the next room that should get you close. Good luck."

"Should we believe him," Prompto asked.

"Why would I lie," Ardyn cut in.

"SHUT UP," they all said in unison, exasperated. His hateful chuckle was their only reply, but he stayed mercifully silent.

"There's no doubt that he's toying with us," Ignis said, as rattled as the rest. "However it's not like we have much choice."

"We can't even catch him by surprise. He hears all," Gladio said angrily.

"So with that option not open to us, what is left," Ignis asked the group.

"We go in guns ablazing," Prompto exclaimed.

"I second that," Gladio said.

"You guys go on ahead," Delenda instructed. "I need to check out my brother's office. I—need to find out what happened to him. I know, it's a liability right now, but otherwise I may never know, and I don't know if I can live with that. And so help me Ardyn," Delenda spoke loudly into the speaker. "If you are tricking us about anything associated with my brother or his office, you will regret it. DO YOU HEAR ME!"

Ardyn laughed. "Ah Delenda, you are a regular Amazon now aren't you? There's not really anything you can do if I'm lying, anyway, but if it makes you feel better, his office is where I told you. Just, watch out for monsters."

They decided they would go to Cicero's office first, to see what they could find, then find Noctis, and then find Ardyn. They presented their plan to each other in whispers to do their best to avoid Ardyn's eavesdropping. They had to hope it was enough.

There was an elevator in the next room like he said. It appeared to be a control room of some sort.

"Wait a moment," Ignis said. We should check if there are any surveillance footage in here to give us an idea of what happened here. I for one don't like the 'undead silence' here."

Most of the footage was deleted, except for one file.

"Wait, that's Ravus and the Emperor," Delenda exclaimed.

"Yes, I see," Ignis replied. "And Ravus has King Regis's sword."

They watched, intently, waiting to see if Ravus was planning to give it to the Emperor as a token. To their surprise, he didn't, and told his ruler in no uncertain terms that it belonged to Noctis, as did the Ring of the Lucii that the Emperor was demanding. Ravus's supportive behavior in Altissa was not a grief-induced fluke then. He was on their side.

The Emperor's response to Ravus was terrifying. He summoned 3 daemons that tried to attack Ravus from behind. It was only Ravus's quick reflexes and skills as a warrior that allowed him to deflect and destroy them.

The fight forced him over the railing of the catwalk he was on, and he ended up on the floor below. As he staggered to his feet, Noctis appeared before him.

"King Noctis," Ravus exclaimed wonderingly. "At last, you have arrived. The Gods have showed you their favor. As blood of the Oracle, I present you with your father's glaive."

"Noctis is ok," Prompto exclaimed.

"No," Ignis said in a hard voice. "This footage is timestamped 2 hours ago. We weren't here yet."

"Then how." Prompto asked wonderingly.

Even as they watched, "Noctis" lunged forward, hacking Ravus's arm off. "Spare me your sycophancy," he spoke coldly, brutally. They had never heard him this bitter or seen him do something this ruthless. It was terrifying.

"I have endured your false heroism for far too long," "Noctis" continued, his accents gradually began to become a languid drawl, almost like…

"Noctis" gradually shifted into Ardyn. He stood over Ravus's body and said, gloatingly, "The crystal chose me. Aw. Rejection, hurts, doesn't it." Then he strode away and the footage faded to black.

The group stood there, stunned. "How can Ardyn do that," Ignis asked Delenda.

"I-I don't know." She was decidedly disturbed. How could he do that? Had he ever done it before? Had she been thinking she was talking to an acquaintance or stranger and it had actually been him? She hugged herself defensively.

"Who the hell is this guy," Gladio asked. It was a rhetorical question.

"You will find out, soon enough," Ardyn responded, his voice low, a decided threat.

Delenda spared a passing thought for Ravus. He may have been a little misguided, but his heart had been in the right place and had truly loved his sister. He deserved better.

"We should use the lift while he allows us to," Ignis said, briskly moving them along.

They got into the elevator and braced themselves, waiting for it to get stuck, start falling, or for monsters to appear. Nothing happened, and they made it to the 6th floor without a problem.

"615, here it is" Delenda exclaimed.

Gladio didn't take any chances. He hacked the door down and barged inside. The room was dark and empty. Delenda made her way to her brother's desk. It was undoubtedly his. He still had the family photo on his desk from a beach trip they had taken years ago with their parents. Seeing that picture triggered a lot of memories, and she hurriedly looked away.

"Nobody here," Gladio stated the obvious.

Delenda itched to call her brother, but something stopped her. She didn't want to think that he was involved in all of this, but something was definately wrong. She might be better on her own for the moment.

"What now, do we do some computer hacking or something," Prompto asked.

"No. He's never around a computer when ideas strike him, so he always keeps notebooks handy. We should find them," Delenda responded.

"What are we looking for," Ignis asked.

"Notes on the Astrals maybe. I don't know. Just show me what you find," she said tensely.

All of them spent the next 30 minutes digging up notebooks, looking for any information they could find. Ardyn was leaving them alone for the moment, but Delenda didn't doubt he was watching, observing them like rats in a maze, ready to send another trap their way. Gladio was losing patience. They finally decided to have him "guard the door" while they read whatever they could get their hands on.

"Was your brother always like this," Ignis asked at one point, having read enough to start drawing conclusions.

"No," was all Delenda could say. The more they read, the more disturbed Delenda was getting. Her brother's notes read like a single-minded obsession about Daemons, magitek, and the fusion between the two. What had happened to him? Where was he now? Should she try calling him?

"Here," Ignis said. "According to this, Bahamut lives in the crystal which is up on the 50th floor of this building." They had their answer then, and it was likely the best they were going to get. As they turned to round up the others, they saw Prompto reading a journal, his face chalk-white.

"What did you find," Ignis asked him.

"I, don't know," Prompto said, clearly lying and putting the journal behind his back to hide it.

Delenda was having none of it. "Give that to me," she demanded.

"I don't think you want to read..." he was cut off as she grabbed it.

It was one of her brother's journals all right, but this one apparently ended abruptly, mid-sentence.

 _Journal entry 1: We have done it! We have successfully fused the essence of a Daemon into a human. Imagine the possibilities! Beings with the power of a Daemon with the intelligence and will of a human. Ha! It makes the magitek soldiers look like toy soldiers in comparison. I wonder what that must feel like, to have that level of power surging within you. I suppose I will never know, seeing as I am just a scientist, not a soldier. Such a sorry state of affairs we live in where the smart ones just get to dream, and not be part of the reality._

They were creating Daemon/human hybrids? Delenda questioned, sick with horror. She had to keep reading.

 _Journal Entry 10. I can deny my curiosity no longer. I must experience the truth for myself. To that end I have injected myself with the essence of a Daemon. I shall record any changes and power increases I experience. Already I feel myself getting stronger! Like I could take on the world._

No wonder Prompto had been keeping this journal from her. Delenda didn't want to read about his transformation, but she had to know what happened at the end.

 _Journal Entry—I've lost track. All subjects fully turned to Daemons. Ravaging city. Experiment failure. Endless hunger. Must consume…_

The journal dropped from Delenda's nerveless fingers and her knees buckled. Ignis ran over to her.

"So, you are finally beginning to learn the truth," Ardyn spoke from the intercom again. "Perhaps you'd like to see your brother again? I can arrange it."

"Goddammit Ardyn! Enough of this! We can surmise what happened. We know enough," Ignis spoke up since it was apparent Delenda was too shocked to respond.

"Oh, well too bad. He's coming for you right now. Far be it from me to disrupt their, heartwarming reunion," Ardyn responded.

As they looked at each other frantically, they heard a pounding at the side door. Gladio tensed, standing in front of it, sword drawn.

The door crashed in, revealing the abomination that was once Delenda's brother.


	14. Chapter 14: Hurt and Comfort

**Me again! I know it's only been a couple of days since my last posting, but I can't wait to reveal what happens next. Hope everyone is keeping up ok. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto all stood at the side door between Delenda and her brother, to keep her from seeing what he had become. She didn't want to see, but she had to. She tried peering around to catch a glimpse when Ignis moved to block once more.

"No. You don't need to see this," he said sharply.

"But I have to—" she was cut off as the front door crashed open next.

"Oh, sorry," Ardyn sniped sarcastically. "I told you to watch out for monsters. They could come from anywhere."

The monster they were shielding her from was not her brother. The one at the front door was. She stared at him, it, in abject horror. It had her brother's face, but it was distorted with daemon's features. His eyes, that had once been a warm brown, were now glowing with a feral viciousness that brought her back to the first Daemon she had encountered in Insomnia. There was no recognition in his glare, no way he could be brought back to the light. Her brother was gone, to a fate worse than death.

She had the gun trained on him, but couldn't pull the trigger. Rationally she knew she had to. "He's not your brother anymore, put him out of his misery," all circled like a mantra in her head, but still, she hesitated. "Goddammit, he's the only family I have left. I can't destroy him. Maybe there's a way back for him," her emotions were shouting at the rational part of her brain that was still working despite the horror.

Her finger tightened on the trigger, only for him to be taken down from behind by an unseen source. He went down, and faded away to nothing like all of the other daemons they had fought. The rest had dispatched the other, and made their way to the newcomer.

"You guys ok," Noctis asked.

Gladio still had his sword drawn. "How do we know it's really you," he asked suspiciously.

Noctis looked back blankly. "What do you mean?" Ardyn's chuckle came through the intercom.

They had to assume that the Noctis before them was real. If it were Ardyn in disguise, he would not have disposed of Delenda's brother, and would have forced them to do it themselves. Or preferably make Delenda do it—the sicko.

Delenda knelt down where the body had faded, touching the floor desperately, looking for any trace of her brother. There was nothing. She struggled a bit when she felt the strong arm around her waist, turning her so she was pressed against a strong male form. Ignis just held her, nudging her head against his shoulder. She needed his warmth. She was so cold. She clung to him like a lifeline.

Noctis looked from one to the other. "What's going on?"

"Prompto, tell him," was all Ignis said.

By the time Prompto was done getting Noctis up to speed, Delenda was feeling more herself. She realized that she was pressed up against Ignis and had gotten snot on his jacket when she wept on it. "Sorry," she said, awkwardly brushing away at it.

"Leave it," he said firmly, grabbing her hand and not letting go.

"I'm so sorry, Delenda." Noctis said awkwardly. "But your brother wouldn't want to be like this. He wouldn't have wanted to hurt you."

"You, had to stop him. I know. I was getting ready to do it before you—did."

"I'm glad I was able to handle that for you," Noctis said, gently by his standards. "I'll be taking care of Ardyn too. That son of a bitch can't masquerade as me and get away with it."

Ardyn chuckled again. "I already did."

Ignoring him was their only option. Otherwise they would be yelling into the intercom all night.

"So, how was your journey through this hell," Gladio asked Noctis.

"Well what you found out jives with what I was able to pick up on my end," Noctis said. "Well that, and apparently Ardyn thinks I'm a 'tease'," he said in disgust.

"Don't worry. He called us that too," Gladio said.

Noctis turned serious again. "From what I gathered, the empire went way too far. They created human/Daemon hybrids, as you guys found out, but it got worse than that. Apparently these guys, things, attacked everyone else and turned them into Daemons as well."

"Gralea destroyed itself," Ignis asked.

"I guess so. There's no empire anymore. Just Ardyn and the crystal," he said darkly. "And we're coming for both."

"Ohohoo, I'm so scared," Ardyn chimed in again.

Noctis had had enough. "This ends now! Do you hear me?"

"My thoughts exactly. Come on up to the 50th floor and get me."

* * *

They were stone silent going up the elevator. Delenda's grief about her brother was shut away in a dark place that she couldn't access right now. She had her hard anger against Ardyn to sustain her. If she lost it further in front of him, beaten down by grief, he would win. And she was damned if she was going to let that happen. She could feel the sharp edges of the pain though. As soon as she got out, if she got out, she knew she would break down. And she didn't know how she would deal with it.

The ramifications of what they had discovered were swirling in her head, as well as more questions. How long had the empire been like this? Was everyone turned into monsters, or did some escape? If monsters killed them, would they be turned as well? Would the monsters spread further? She had to hope this would all end when they defeated Ardyn and got the crystal.

The 50th floor looked the same as all the others. Apparently rank didn't matter at the keep. Everyone was the same and worked in a metal vault. There were no monsters up here, which made everyone suspicious. The hallway opened into a huge atrium with catwalks radiating out in multiple directions. If one fell off of the catwalks, they would plummet to their death 3 stories below. Or get killed by daemons. Delenda noticed them crawling around down there. It looked like the area Ravus had been in in the video.

In the center of the catwalks, on a raised platform, was the crystal. It was the exact same one Delenda had seen being spirited away from the battle in Insomnia. She had gone full circle, she mused bitterly.

"I've, never been this close to it before," Prompto whispered, awestruck. "Is it true that this is the source of Insomnia's magic?"

"Yeah," Noctis said simply.

"What do we do now," Gladio asked.

"I guess I have to, interact with it somehow," Noctis said. "You guys watch out for 'him'."

Noctis walked up to the crystal, ring facing forward. "I am Noctis Lucis Caelum. Present King of Lucis. I am in possession of the Ring of the Lucii and have been bequeathed the powers of Ramuh, the Fulgurian; Shiva the Glacian; Titan, the Archean; and Leviathan, the Hydrean. Bahamut, the Draconian, please lend me your power so that I may return light to the world."

"Really, that's what you're going with," Gladio mentioned derisively.

"I figure it sounds like something the Oracle would say so maybe it will work. Hey, I'm spitballing here. I have no freakin clue."

Any further conversation was cut off as the crystal began glowing. They watched as a light beam emerged, hitting Noctis's ring.

"Hey," he exclaimed as the beam began drawing him in, like it was a magnet and he was metal.

"What's going on," Delenda asked fearfully as Noctis kept getting dragged helplessly towards it. When he got close enough, a giant hand crashed out of the crystal, grabbed him, and pulled him inside.

They all ran up to it, to try to retrieve him, to see what happened, but it had created a shield like what used to cover Insomnia. Their weapons did nothing against it. Noctis was stuck in the crystal.

The sound of applause behind them startled them. "Noctis was able to get the notoriously 'antisocial' Bahamut to interact with him. Well done!" Ardyn was standing at the end of the catwalk behind them, surveying the team with detached interest.

Ignis clutched Delenda's hand warningly, to keep her from lunging at Ardyn like she wanted to do.

"What have you done to Noctis," Ignis demanded.

"Me? Nothing! I have no control over the crystal. Only the one with the Ring of the Lucii has that."

"Where is Noctis, then," Gladio demanded, fingering his sword. He was obviously getting ready to lunge.

"Let me tell you a story," Ardyn began, as though telling a bedtime story to a child. "Once upon a time, well 1000 years ago, there was darkness, like there is right now in fact. During that darkness, the Daemons arose and had the power to turn humans into beings like themselves when they killed them. You know, just like right now."

"We get it, you started the Starscourge, for no goddamned reason" Gladio snapped, and lunged forward, only for Ignis to stop him.

"Wait," he said sharply.

Ardyn continued. "Anyway, the person you know as the first Oracle, had enough of the daemons and the endless darkness, so he wandered the world, approaching the Astrals to give him the power to return light to the world. They gave him the power all right: the power of the crystal. The power to absorb daemons into himself to get rid of them. And oh, how well it worked," he added dulcetly. "Then when it was all over, and light was restored, the Astrals decided that what they created was an abomination, too unclean to be granted eternal peace. They banished him, placing the remains of their power into the crystal and the ring that the royal family of Lucis became guardians of. The first Oracle was part of the Lucis royal family in those days, so it was only fair that others of that line reaped the benefits. Just not the one who made the sacrifice," he added bitterly.

"But the first Oracle learned to benefit from his curse. As he learned, he had daemon powers and could not die. Oh, how much fun he had with all of that."

He was speaking as though he were reminiscing, Delenda thought. Then she remembered Luna's last aborted words: "Ardyn was the first…". Oh my God, she thought.

"You were the first Oracle," it wasn't actually a question.

"Bravo, Delenda. You get a cookie," he said sarcastically.

"Wait, no way," Prompto said, floundering. "That's bullshit!" And he whipped out his gun and shot point blank at Ardyn's chest. A black mist formed where the bullet struck and passed through harmlessly, as though he were made of air.

"Anyone else care to try," he snarked. "Come on, you have giant swords, lances, and daggers in your arsenal. Surely one of those will work. No, huh," he responded as everyone stood frozen. "Pity."

"Why have you imprisoned Noctis in the crystal? Revenge," Ignis asked.

Ardyn gave a put-upon sigh. "I had nothing to do with that, as I already told you. The crystal and the Astrals won't talk to me anymore. They will talk to the Chosen King though. Noctis is in there right now, getting the truth of life from Bahmut, swapping stories, exchanging jokes, who knows or cares?"

"You will, when he comes out," Gladio said. "He'll have Bahamut's power and will know where to find Ifrit next."

"Oh, I'm counting on that. However, an Astral's concept of time is so much different than a human's. When I spoke to Bahamut, I thought it was only for a few minutes, but when I emerged, I found that 10 years had passed. Noctis will get what he wants, all right, but it may be in 30 minutes, or it may be 30,000 years. I'm inclined to think it's the latter," he added nastily.

"Have fun waiting for him, though. Oh, but I don't want you waiting for him here. I don't want you to wear out your welcome." And with that, he waved his hands, and the room began swarming with daemons.

There were way too many for them to handle. They looked at each other frantically. They knew the truth: there was nothing they could do for Noctis for now. They had to fall back now or die.

"Run," was all Ignis said, then they were running, hacking and shooting at whatever they could just to get it out of the way.

"It's been fun," Delenda heard Ardyn say as they fled.

* * *

The ragged party fled from Gralea in a stolen car. Prompto had demonstrated a previously unknown knack for hotwiring. He had learned it from Cindy, he said. Even Gladio was impressed. It was a much longer trip than before. Without the souped up Regalia, they had to stop every mile or so to defeat a Daemon blocking their path. Delenda didn't want to think about whether they had once been humans.

They staggered into Tenebrae more dead than alive. Aranea met them at the gate.

"Welcome back, guys." She looked around. "Where is Pretty Boy?"

"Missing in action," Gladio said gruffly.

Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry to hear that. Well, get in here, all of you. You look like something hell spit back out."

"You may be right," Gladio said, defeated.

Tenebrae became their refuge for awhile. It had lights that were keeping the daemons away, even though night was a full 24 hours now. They were able to rest and heal. Delenda had time to come to terms with her brother's death, but it was hard. Rationally, she knew he had dug his own grave, being so curious about monsters that he had been destroyed by his own hubris. However, given what had happened to everyone in Gralea, the same thing would have happened to him whether he had joined in the experiment or not. It was one of Ignis's "different situation, same outcome" types of deals, but this time it made her feel worse not better.

She remembered the boy Cicero had been before he went off to college, to become the mad scientist he ended up as. He had been bookish, shy, awkward, but he had always been there for her. He had loved sharing his books and discussing the "cool things" he had read with her. Could she have done something different after their father died, to keep him closer, to keep him away from the dark path he had chosen to cope with the grief? The path that consumed him in the end? She would never know.

Delenda found Ignis standing on the roof of the inn, staring in the direction of Gralea. They couldn't see it in the darkness, but it was out there, festering in the aftermath of its evil.

He turned to face her, his glasses reflecting in the artificial light. "What is it, Delenda?"

"What are we supposed to do now? Ardyn is immortal. How do we take him down?"

He turned away. "We wait for Noct. Once he has the powers of the astrals, he will be able to meet him, power for power."

"How do we know that? All we have to go on are fairy stories. And what if it takes him 30,000 years to return—"

He turned back to her, sharply. "What do you want from me, Delenda? I have no answers for you. We are stuck." He gestured around. "This is our new reality."

"Oh, so we're just supposed to make the best of things and let Ardyn have his way? I refuse to believe that Noctis is our only option. There has to be something else—"

He grabbed her shoulders. "Dammit, Delenda. We barely made it out of there alive. We only did because Ardyn allowed it. There is no extra training we can do, no extra powers we can accrue to do anything. You have expressed concern again and again for being weak and useless? That applies to me right now. I failed Noctis and am powerless to do anything."

Delenda could see his expression in the artificial light. She had never seen him this way. Her bastion of competence, the man who always had a plan and an answer for everything, had nothing. And it was breaking him.

She covered his hands with hers and spoke gently, "we are all in the same boat right now, Ignis. You don't have to take all of this on yourself. I'm here for you. Tell me what you need."

Ignis's gaze intensified and heated. Delenda realized too late how what she just said could be misinterpreted. Her breath snagged in her throat, the dangerous awareness of him she felt on the ship and when pinned beneath him in Titan's lair returning in full force. The others had been there to return sanity those times, but not now. It was just the two of them, alone in the dark.

There was no escape. Ignis pulled her against him and kissed her with an intensity and desperation that shocked her. Delenda had never been kissed before. In all her dreams about her first kiss, she had never thought it would be when grief and pain were so high. What was she supposed to do?

Ignis, perceptive as always, sensed her confusion, and maybe that it was her first kiss too. His touch changed, becoming gentle, soothing, tender. She was lost. Her own pain was fading away into something else that she couldn't name. She needed whatever he was offering her. Something softened, melted inside her and she was clinging to him, clutching his shoulders like a lifeline, and responding instinctively, helplessly.

The sound of a daemon in the distance broke the spell. Ignis let go of her gently, but continued to stare at her intently. This shouldn't have happened, she thought. Now was not the time or the place. She hurried back inside. She needed to think and figure out how to handle this.

* * *

It was dark when Noctis awoke. He was lying on the ground in a featureless void. Where the heck was he?

"So, you are awake," came the resonating voice of an Astral.

Wait, Astral? His memory began slipping back, the crystal, the being pulled in, then nothing.

"Where am I," he asked? Cliché, but necessary.

"You are in the World of the Crystal. I am Bahamut. You were seeking my power?"

"Yes. I need your help in returning light to the world. There is currently no Oracle to stop the darkness. I need your and Ifrit's help to bring things back to the way they were."

Bahamut stared at him, his face hidden behind a helmet. "We cannot grant you the powers you seek. The Astrals are fractured. Even were I to grant you my power, you would be unable to obtain Ifrit's to complete the set. He answers to another. A dark being devoted to the endless night."

"Who controls Ifrit?"

"He goes by the name of Ardyn Izunia now. He was once the Oracle of legend. The First Oracle…"

"Wait! That…turd…is the first Oracle? And he's immortal," Noctis responded after having heard from Bahamut what Ardyn had already told the others.

"Yes. The power we gave him became a curse."

"So how do I stop him?"

Bahamut looked at him gravely. "There is only one way. You must become the 'True King'."

"Ok...how do I do that?"

"The Ring of the Lucii is more than just a receptacle of our powers. It also houses the souls and powers of every one of the Kings of Lucis. When you are ready, you can absorb all of those powers into yourself, and become the True King. Then and only then, will you be able to defeat Ardyn Izunia. This power is not without a price. You must prepare your body and spirit for the absorption. And the power is used at the expense of your life. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"So, Ardyn and I will end up killing each other then," Noctis demanded. "I can bring back the light, but I won't be there to see it?"

Bahamut nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry. After Ardyn, we learned that we cannot bequeath immeasurable power like that without a failsafe. We cannot have somebody with that power wandering the world. We will only give it to those who are willing to die for it."

Noctis turned away from Bahamut, soul sick. He thought of his comrades, his kingdom, Iris, Cindy, even Aranea. How could he leave them with an endless night knowing that there was something he could do, even if it was something like this? His father and Luna had died for the cause of peace. It looked like his number was up.

"Ok. Fine. What do I do now?"

"Stay with us here for awhile, and we will prepare you," Bahamut said. The dark space illuminated, showing ghostly versions of the Lucian Kings of old, all gathered around him.

"For how long? I need to get going," he reminded them.

"It will take some time for your body and spirit to be prepared for the power. You must be patient."

Noctis sighed. Something told him he would be here for awhile…

* * *

 **I played with Ardyn's background a bit. I don't think cannon says he was the first Oracle, but I think it makes sense. From the recent online vote SqEnix had, it seems like they are thinking of giving us more about Ardyn's background, so I will be very curious to see who he actually is in expanded cannon. Hope the last scene with Delenda and Ignis wasn't too awkward. This was one of the more difficult scenes to write. Let me know what you think of everything. Post time-skip (and lots of cannon deviation) is up next. TTYL.**


	15. Chapter 15: Frustration and Passion

**Greetings everyone! Here is the first "post time-skip" chapter. Instead of making it a 10 year gap, I made it a 3 year gap. I didn't think Ardyn deserved to get his way for that long, and I didn't want to put our heroes through 10 years of hell ;-) I think 3 years does the same thing, just not as harshly. I suppose the length of the time gap doesn't really affect how the story goes from here, so if you want to imagine that it's 10 years, go ahead, but I'm putting it as 3. Here goes...**

* * *

 _Three Years Later…_

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," Delenda reminded herself of that old saw for the millionth time. It was her daily mantra, and really the only way to live through the endless darkness without going mad.

It had been the hardest decision they had ever made to stop searching for Noctis and to "let Ardyn win for now." They had not been able to come up with a way to bring light back without Noctis. They needed the power of the Astrals, and he was the only one who had it. The team had decided that they had to make the best of things and wait for Noctis.

The decision sat very hard with Delenda. She wanted to discuss it further, but remembered full well how Ignis had reacted. She couldn't end up kissing Ignis again. Romance had no place in this kind of world, so any attraction she felt was a liability. And it's not like she could be sure how Ignis felt about her, anyway. He was always cautious, and kept his deepest feelings hidden. The kiss could have been an aberration in Tenebrae, just misdirected grief. Not that that stopped her for yearning for what could have been…

Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio had reverted to daemon hunting. Their base was in Hammerhead, but they wandered the land taking on some of the bigger threats. They were often called to Tenebrae as well to help out. Delenda didn't know if their continued wandering was to try to find Noctis despite everything, or if it was a way of forgetting their powerlessness.

Delenda had come to terms with the fact that she was better off not fighting. She and Iris lived near Galdin Quay, down the shore in Cape Caem. Delenda had continued working with magic, and discovered that lightning energy could be used to mimic sunlight for plants. Iris, an avid gardener before the darkness, had taken that bit of knowledge to become what she liked to call a "night farmer." Between Delenda harvesting lightning energy for light and Iris's gardening skills, they had a very successful farm going.

That was not the main reason Delenda continued working with magic, though. She kept wondering if she had had her magic vials that day in Gralea whether they would have worked against Ardyn. He was counting on them using conventional weapons, but what if she had used magic on him? It was elemental power like the Astrals, so maybe it would have done something. She wasn't foolish enough to think that just tossing a level 1 fire vial at him would burn him. She would need something stronger.

Altissia was providing those answers. She and Iris were able to trade produce for their magic books, and Delenda was learning great deal about the darker more dangerous spells such as the "Death" spell. Even if a weak spell was infused with "Death" it would kill the enemy regardless. It really was an unfair spell. If she infused Death into a high-end spell, would it be enough to do in Ardyn?

Intel told them that Ardyn had set up his base in the Citadel of Insomnia, surrounded by an endless horde of daemons. Delenda knew he had done it on purpose, to make it personal, to gloat in their powerlessness. She wanted to kill him herself, but knew it would be suicide to go alone and trust that her death spell alone would work.

The world as a whole had come to terms with the darkness, and wasn't doing too badly considering. Everyone had banded together well. Aranea had Tenebrae pretty well in-hand. It had become the human stronghold on the Western Island. Claustra had rebuilt Altissia pretty well, and they had a successful daemon quarantine going on. It was easy for them to do that, being an island. Duscae had Lestallum, whose power plant was keeping the lights on for everyone and successfully deterring daemons. Lucis had a thriving hunter base at Hammerhead. With all the farmhands at Iris's "night farm" and keeping the lighthouse there on, Delenda and Iris were keeping a civilization cluster going after a fashion as well.

Cindy's "daylight mimicking" headlights were a mainstay on all vehicles and ships, keeping trade routes open. Talcott, the boy who had helped Iris escape Insomnia, was now old enough to drive, and was one of the first people they called to transport goods around Lucis.

All and all, with the relatively safe settlements, and access to food, energy, and trade, humanity had adapted to the darkness as they always had to adversity. Most were resigned to it being their fate, and were living as before. Delenda wished she could move on like that. But each day of darkness made her feel more powerless and more frustrated.

* * *

Delenda had taken on the cooking for her, Iris, and the farmhands. She had picked up quite a few tips from Ignis, and Iris was all too happy to stay out of the kitchen. Delenda was at the stove cooking dinner when she heard Iris exclaim. "Gladio! What you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you guys were coming?"

Gladio was here? That meant…

"Hello, Delenda," Ignis murmured softly in her ear. She turned around startled.

He was standing very close to her, as dapper as ever. It looked like the daemon they had brought down this time was pretty easy.

"Oh, hello Ignis. What are you doing here?"

"We were in the neighborhood, so of course Gladio wants to see his sister. And seeing you wouldn't go amiss either," he added. His arm slid past her, grazing her body in the process, so he could reach the pot behind her to sneak a taste of what she was cooking. She jerked away as if he had burned her. She would have given much to know if his touch was accidental or by design.

"Hey careful with that! It could have still been raw," she said.

"I smell vegetables, which normally go in after the meat is mostly cooked. I think I will be ok," he added dryly.

"Any advice for me," she asked.

"No. Your food is, good."

Getting that type of compliment out of him was extraordinary. She felt like he had just told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She actually blushed. He was looking at her intently. She had the sinking suspicion he noticed.

"Food time yet?" Prompto burst in, as energetic as always.

"Just about," she responded.

"YAY! I will help set the table."

It felt almost like old times, the group of them eating together. Prompto was his bubbly self, talking about the daemon they had brought down and how it was "a piece of cake." Gladio and Iris were catching up, talking about the farm and how things were going. Ignis and Delenda mostly listened, but spoke when they had things to say. Delenda was very aware that Noctis was missing. He needed to be here, she thought sadly. They could use his wisecracks, his general kindness, and wisdom he occasionally bestowed around his general awkward immaturity. Then she remembered the date. It was 3 years to the day since Noctis had disappeared.

She didn't want to say anything, to bring the rest of the team down, but it was the thought that kept circulating in her head until bedtime.

* * *

Delenda couldn't sleep. She was continuing to brood. It had been 3 years. Noctis was off gallivanting with Bahamut in the crystal world while they were here, fighting off endless daemons, and Ardyn was chilling in Insomnia gloating over his triumph. Why should Noctis come back? The crystal world was likely better than this. What if he didn't return, she thought. Here they were, waiting for him, and he wasn't even planning on coming back. That, princely asshole, she thought, anger kindling.

Ok. She needed to calm down, and just laying in bed getting madder and madder wasn't helping. She would go downstairs and have a snack or something. Anything to calm her.

She was in no mood to see anyone right now, especially Ignis. He was standing at the kitchen counter, preparing himself a late snack. Leftovers of the soup she had made, she noticed.

He studied her a moment. "You're still awake. Is something wrong," Ignis asked.

"No," she lied brusquely then made her way to the refrigerator.

"You're lying," he said flatly. "What is it?"

He asked for it.

"It's been 3 years. 3 goddamn years. And here we are still waiting around for that shit of a prince to get off his ass and come back. Did you ever think that he won't and we will have to do it ourselves?"

Ignis sighed. "We've been over this before, Delenda. There is nothing we can do without Noctis."

"Bullshit! I have perfected the highest level spells we can conjure. Even the death spell. We've never tried magic against Ardyn—"

"Out of the question," he said coldly.

There he was, shutting her down again. She was having none of it this time. "And why the hell not? What, do you think I'm too incompetent? Maybe you think I will decide to team up with Ardyn? He was my old boss after all," she added sarcastically.

The hard look on his face should have stopped her, but she couldn't help it. Her fury and frustration was so much that nothing could hold it back.

"You just want to wait for Noctis, even though it's clear he's abandoned us all. What a good, loyal soldier you are," she added nastily. "Do you know what I think? You're a coward who won't fight Ardyn without Noctis to hold his hand—"

She was abruptly silenced. With a speed and strength she was not prepared for, Ignis had lunged forward, yanked her into his arms, and was fiercely kissing her. The anger in the kiss quickly changed to a long-repressed desire that could not be denied. The feelings from the inn at Tenebrae returned with a vengeance. The feelings Delenda had been trying to repress herself for 3 years exploded. She met his passion with her own, and it was heady, exhilarating…

"What's going on guys? I heard the yelling from…oh," Prompto broke off awkwardly, having come downstairs to see what they were arguing about. "I'll ah, head back upstairs then." He just about ran back up the stairs. Knowing him, he was probably going to wake up Gladio and gossip about what he had just seen.

They had broken apart quickly upon hearing Prompto. Delenda's knees were still weak. She was staring at Ignis, breathing hard. She couldn't decipher his expression.

"Delenda, I," he started huskily.

She was too shaken to listen to him right now. She ran back upstairs as quickly as Prompto. As soon as she made it back to her room, she slid down to the floor, back to the door, hugging her knees. What had she done? "You know what you did," her inner voice said smugly. The inevitable had happened: she had given in to the attraction, again. What was she supposed to do now, marry him, start a family with him? In this world? With him in danger all the time? She couldn't do it. It had been one thing to keep her dreams about their life together in her head. It had been safe, and she had assumed that the kiss in Tenebrae had been a fluke. Now, she knew it wasn't. Even after the terrible things she had said, he still kissed her like he wanted her. Her dreams had suddenly become tangible possibilities, but she could do nothing with them.

Damn Noctis! Damn Ardyn! They had brought them to this pass. There was nothing she could do about Noctis, but there was something she could do to Ardyn. Wait, what was she thinking? She couldn't confront Ardyn alone. It would be suicide. She didn't even know if the death spell would work on him. But the idea was taking form in her head. The only thing that had been holding her back was the fact she didn't want to do it alone. If she was able to overcome that fear, what was left to stop her trying? She was the only one who wanted to do something besides wait for Noctis, so maybe it should fall to her to try alone. The inevitability was circling her. It didn't matter what the outcome was, or what Ardyn could do to her. She had the most history with Ardyn, so maybe it was on her to take him on. She had to try.

* * *

 _Ignis, Gladio, Prompto:_

 _You are within your rights to keep waiting for Noctis. Realistically, he is probably our best hope. However, I can't handle the waiting without trying something, anything. I am taking my spells to Insomnia to see what I can do. I don't ask, or expect you to follow me. This is all on me, and I am prepared to handle the consequences._

 _Thank you all for saving me that day in the desert. I am grateful for the chance to have known you all. If you wouldn't mind, Gladio, please tell Iris farewell for me? Prompto, if you can thank Cindy for everything the next time you see her, I would be very grateful. When Noctis comes back, just tell him I was too impatient. And Ignis, I don't regret what happened in the kitchen, or in Tenebrae. I only regret that there is no future for us while there is only darkness._

 _Love Always,_

 _Delenda Aurora Beatrix Achilleus_

Delenda left her letter in her workroom. She couldn't bear to go to her fate without anyone knowing where she went at some point. It felt too much like dying alone to do that. She figured it would take them a bit to find it, but they would find it eventually. She didn't want it to sound like a suicide note, even though that's basically what it was. She didn't want to sound passive aggressive or like some kind of martyr, either. She had done her best, and that was all she could do.

She crept out of the house, bringing nothing with her except a hard-sided suitcase full of magic vials. No more soft-sided bags that could crush the contents on impact for her. She half expected to be intercepted on her way out. What if Ignis was still up? What would he say, or do, to her if he saw her creeping out? She was torn between apprehension and fascination at the thought. She shook her head to clear it.

She also "borrowed" the Regalia. Well, technically it wasn't "The Regalia". That had been destroyed in Gralea. It was the new Regalia, an abandoned pick-up truck Cindy had found and fixed up. It was the vehicle the trio took hunting. Ignis had left them a spare key "in case of emergencies". Delenda figured this was an emergency, even if they didn't think so. It had Cindy's daylight headlights on it, so it should let her get to Insomnia ok. After that it was up to fate, or her success with magic spells, which was still a big if.

She navigated the dark, silent roads, seeing no one. It seemed somehow fitting that her ride back to Insomnia was just as lonely as her initial walk out. As expected, the monsters left her alone. She could see them, milling aimlessly at the side of the road, black shapes in the darkness. Their glowing eyes staring at nothing. Had these once been humans? People she knew? People who had escaped Insomnia with her? She hoped not. Even if she restored the light, she knew they wouldn't come back.

She could barely see the silhouettes of the remains of the Insomnia skyline in the darkness. The only way she knew she was close was when she crossed the bridge and went through the toll gate. The roads in the city were still clogged with the remains of cars that had been unable to escape the city. Maybe the people had abandoned their cars and walked. Maybe they had been destroyed by the empire, or turned into daemons. Her vehicle would avail her nothing now. She would have to walk the rest of the way. She could see the Citadel in the distance, the only lit building in the entire graveyard of a city. And the entire street before it was teeming with gigantic daemons. The kind of daemons they had fled in terror from in Gralea, knowing they could not win against them.

* * *

Talcott was in a good mood. He had just seen off a shipment of Cindy's car parts to Tenebrae and was driving his truck back to Hammerhead to refuel (his gas tank was close to empty), rest up and stock up for the next leg. Another hard night's work, he thought wryly. He slowed his pace near the road that went to the remains of Galdin Quay. He still missed that place—he remembered going there once or twice with his late granddad and it had been the coolest place he had ever seen.

Now, it was overrun with monsters. Wait, way overrun. There was a procession of them running this way, almost as though they had prey in their sights…

He saw the man then, running for his life down the road towards him. It didn't matter if the man were a good citizen or scum of the earth. Nobody left a human to the tender mercies of a daemon. Talcott slammed on his brakes, coming to a dead stop right beside the man.

"Quick, get in," he ordered.

The man did as he was bid, jumping in with limber grace.

It was as they were zooming off that Talcott got a good look as his passenger, and almost slammed the brakes to a dead stop again in shock.

The silver-haired man looked like he had seen his fair share of battle. His face had matured, hardened. He had a few days growth of beard. The man may have aged, but Talcott recognized him. He had just rescued Noctis Lucis Caelum, King of Insomnia.

* * *

Delenda made it to the gates of the Citadel. Not because she was a badass or a magical powerhouse. She merely snuck through the back alleys. The daemons were too big to fit through them, leaving them just for her. She didn't see any daemons behind the gates, but that didn't mean they wouldn't appear. She palmed a magic vial in each hand and stepped forward.

When she got to the main square outside the Citadel, she saw why there were no daemons here. Standing right in the middle, was a giant…fiery being. It looked like an Astral. Why would it be here? It quickly turned her way with feral interest. She knew she was in for a fight. Would her death spell work on it? Maybe a blizzard spell infused with death?

"As hot tempered as always, aren't you, Ifrit? Stand down and wait for the others," Ardyn said smoothly, making his way slowly, gracefully, down the steps towards Delenda. He looked the same as always. Still dressed the same in his cloak and fedora. He had not aged at all in 3 years.

"Ah, Delenda! So nice to see you braving the hordes to see me. I'm flattered, really. I've so missed having somebody to talk to."

What should she do? Hurl the magic vials now? She'd be fighting a battle on 2 fronts. There was no way she could handle Ifrit and Ardyn at once. "Divide and conquer," she thought. Strangely, her brain decided to recite the words in Ignis's voice.

She surreptitiously placed the palmed magic vials in her pockets and spoke in the firmest tones she could, "I have come to negotiate an end to the darkness and to bring about a return to the light."

Ardyn laughed. "So you've become a diplomat now? Good for you. Come inside and let's see how much you have learned from me." He held out his hand to guide her in. She didn't take it, but he took her hand anyway. Her skin crawled at the cold contact. And, feeling sick and frightened, she kept pace with him to get inside the Citadel.


	16. Chapter 16: Ardyn's Plaything

**Next chapter time. Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, what do you think of my humble abode," Ardyn asked as soon as they entered the Citadel, gesturing widely around the reception hall.

"It's not yours. It's Noctis's," Delenda couldn't help replying.

"Perhaps. But Noctis isn't back yet, is he?" He made a theatrical show of looking around. "And where are the others? Surely you didn't come alone," he added in over the top surprise.

"I don't need them to negotiate with you," she responded. "And I don't need them to kill you," she thought to herself angrily. She needed a safe distance from him to use her magic vials. Not that she cared about them hitting her—her death was a foregone conclusion. She was more concerned with him intercepting the attack before she could use them.

"Such confidence," he responded, ushering her into the elevator. "And it's true. Too many people in the room can spoil a negotiation. I remember when I first met with King Regis. I stood alone against him and all his advisers. It worked so much better than if I had come in with an army behind me."

"It would have been better for everyone if you had just done that to begin with," she responded. "Rather than the sham of peace you proposed."

"Aren't you supposed to be buttering me up? You are not creating a favorable position for yourself," he responded patronizingly.

Delenda was silent the rest of the trip up the elevator, willing herself to stay calm. He was right. She couldn't antagonize him, at least until she was in a position to use her magic vials.

He guided her to the throne room, still keeping hold of her hand, not letting her break free. The contact was nauseating. As soon as she entered the imposing room, she saw the crystal sitting right next to the throne. Was Noctis still in there? Could she get him out somehow?

"Beautiful isn't it," Ardyn asked, noticing her regarding it.

She did not find it beautiful. She found it a liability. It symbolized the Astral's powers. The bait and switch that lured people with promises of power and hope, just to demand a high price in exchange.

"I believe this is the part where you tell me what you will give me in exchange for returning light to the world," Ardyn prompted.

"Would you have the power to return the light if we give you something?"

"Of course. I brought light to the world before didn't I? I was the first Oracle after all. I can absorb all the daemons in existence until light returns, if I'm given a decent incentive."

Could she really negotiate with him? Would it really work? It's not like she trusted him, but it would be a way to stall a risky attack, and the probability of her death. She was fundamentally a coward, she supposed. She would rather negotiate with a monster than risk her life killing him. That was what prompted her to say, "what incentive do you have in mind?"

He thought for a moment, then surveyed her up and down. She tensed, feeling unclean.

"Well, you could become my queen."

* * *

Talcott used the last of his fuel to rush Noctis to Iris's house. It was closer than Hammerhead. During the trip, Noctis grilled him about everything that had happened. He seemed appalled and shocked that he had been away for 3 years.

"I take it you are back to finish things," Talcott asked hopefully.

"Yeah. That's the idea," was all he said.

Gladio answered the door, with Iris standing close beside him.

"I can greet my own visitors, Gladdy," she snarked.

"They could be dangerous this time of night," he responded.

"WHAT! It's night all the time…" she trailed off, aghast at who was at the door.

"Noct," she responded with an awed whisper. Then, without thinking, she lunged forward and touched his face, as if to prove to herself that he was real, and that it was actually Noctis under the grizzled face.

He was staring at her intently as well, then took her hands and moved them gently away from his face.

"Yeah it's me, Iris. No need to tickle me," he added with an awkward laugh.

"It's really you," she felt compelled to ask.

"Um, yeah. But, not like I can prove it, though."

Iris was looking him up and down. His black pinstripe suit was tailored to him, and he was wearing a black cape over one shoulder. He looked…regal, and powerful. It made Iris unaccountably nervous.

Gladio spoke for the first time. "About time you got back 'your majesty'." The sarcasm in the title was eloquent.

"Better late than never," Ignis added calmly, having come down to see what the commotion was about.

"I just knew you'd come back, dude," Prompto exclaimed, arriving on the scene and appearing ready to hug him.

"Yeah. I'm, sorry I was away for so long. It took awhile for Bahamut to release me. What's been going on here?"

They told him whatever Talcott had not.

"So, Iris, you and Delenda have a farm here? Glad to hear Delenda is ok. Where is she?"

"Yeah," Iris exclaimed. "She should have heard the commotion by now and come down. I'll go check on her."

Her demeanor changed from confusion to concern when she did not find Delenda in her room, or in her workroom.

Gladio checked outside, only to return, face grim.

"She's not out there, and the Regalia 2 has been stolen."

The eloquent stream of curses Ignis levied against Delenda caused the whole room to stop and stare.

"Woah, dude," was all Prompto could say.

"I know full well where that fool has gone," Ignis snapped. "She has gone to confront Ardyn alone!"

"No way," Prompto said. "That would be suicide and she knows it!"

"Um guys," Iris broke in. "Looks like she left a letter. Ignis, I think you should read it first."

He read it, getting more and more upset. "It's exactly as I said. She's going off to kill herself!"

Noctis spoke up. "I owe that turd of an Ardyn a visit anyway. I'm going, if any of you are interested in joining in."

"Do you even have to ask," Gladio responded.

Ignis was already striding out the door.

* * *

The quartet would have to walk to Insomnia. Talcott explained in despair that he had used up the last of his fuel to get Noctis here. They could call Cindy to bring more, but it could take a day or two. And Ignis was damned if he was going to sit around waiting while Delenda was killing herself. Noctis too. He had not waited 3 years to reclaim his birthright just to be stymied for 2 days waiting for fuel. He was not the boy he was 3 years ago. Daemons no longer scared him.

Iris begged to go, but they had to refuse. Noctis knew full well what was in store, and he didn't want Iris to have to see it. It was bad enough having his friends see it.

"Talcott, please stay and take care of Iris," was all he said. She took immediate offense.

"You forget I'm Gladio's sister. I know how to fight. Delenda is my friend too. I have to go."

Noctis grabbed her shoulders gently, and gazed at her intently, commandingly. "I don't want to play the King card, but you're forcing me to. As King, I order you to stay here and take care of yourself."

Her mouth opened in shock, but only for a moment. "I don't care if you are a freaking God! You can't make me do anything!"

Noctis leaned closer to her and murmured, "try me." His tone was low, insinuating. Iris blushed. Noctis moved closer still. His proximity, his presence, and how attractive he was made Iris panic. She broke free of Noctis's gaze, his touch, and ran off in tears to her room.

"Smooth, Noct," was all Prompto said.

"She is my sister, Noct. Watch yourself," Gladio responded sternly.

"When this is over, we will need to apologize to her," Noctis said.

"Delegating your duties already," Gladio snarked back.

Noctis looked away. He couldn't tell them that he wouldn't be around to tell her himself, no matter how much he wanted to be.

* * *

It was a long walk, but the Daemons weren't giving them much trouble. Their combined powers and experience were enough to make short work of them, but the distance to Insomnia by foot was still long.

"What do you think Ardyn will do to her," Prompto asked nervously, never too shy to address the elephant in the room.

"Prompto," Gladio responded, warningly.

"It's nothing compared to what I will do to her when I find her first," Ignis responded darkly. I will find her and make her sorry for everything…"

Prompto was not taken in by Ignis's threats. "Will that be before or after you kiss her," he asked cheekily.

"Prompto," Noctis and Gladio exclaimed in unison, scandalized.

"Like that, is it," Noctis asked after a short pause.

"My feelings for Delenda are irrelevant. And you might want to be thinking about your feelings for Iris before asking me about mine," Ignis responded cooly. He steadfastly refused to think about what could be happening to Delenda right now. He would find her before she reached Ardyn and that was that.

Gladio looked from one to the other. "You'd better not be playing games with my sister, Noct. You may be King now but that doesn't mean I won't kick your scrawny ass."

Noctis sighed. "All of this is pointless until after we've saved the world, right?"

"Do you really think we can do it," Prompto asked.

"We can do it," was all Noctis said.

* * *

Delenda actually retched. She couldn't help it. The thought of being Ardyn's queen filled her with something beyond disgust.

Luckily, he moved away at that, obviously not wanting to be vomited upon. This was her chance. She jumped back, grabbed the magic vials from her pockets, and threw them at him with all her might. They shattered with a satisfying crash, as the deadly energy engulfed him.

"Those were death infused spells, you pig! As much as I hate your guts, I hope you don't suffer!"

He dusted off the glass from his cloak, clearly unscathed.

"The death spell? How quaint," he responded patronizingly, and moved towards her.

It didn't work. She had gambled and lost. She knew it was the probable outcome from the start, but to actually have it happen was still a shock. She was doomed and she knew it. She had thought death was the worst that could happen, but now that he had mentioned "being his queen", she started thinking of worse fates. She very nearly threw up again.

"Really," Ardyn said mockingly. "The thought of ruling alongside me is that disgusting to you? We got along well enough when you worked for me. This would be the same thing, except with some 'additional responsibilities'." Ardyn punctuated this with a light caress to her cheek.

Delenda flinched back, reflexively.

"You aren't being a good diplomat. Part of the job is making sacrifices for the greater good. Surely marriage is a small price to pay for returning light to the world?"

"Do you really think I would tie myself to you like that? Do you really think I would believe you would do anything you promised? I would rather die a daemon than marry you," she added scathingly. She had nothing to lose now.

Ardyn studied her, poker-faced. "A fate worse than death," he mocked. "Oh well. Worth a thought. And I suppose, dear Iggy would have something to say about the whole thing too. I don't want to make him jealous. Although…" he tapered off, then shapeshifted into Ignis as he had become Noctis in the security video. "Perhaps this makes everything all better?"

Ok. Now Delenda was really going to throw up. Hearing Ardyn drawl in Ignis's cultured accents was chilling. Seeing him mockingly saunter closer as Ignis was beyond her worst nightmare. She backed away, but he kept coming. She felt the wall behind her back. She had nowhere else to go. He stood, practically against her. He may have looked like and sounded like Ignis, but he could not mimic Ignis's presence. Her body knew the difference, and every fiber of her being was rejecting the man before her. She had to stand up to him, lambast him, fight back for what he was doing to her, but she was frozen.

"Dear Iggy really has it bad doesn't he," Ardyn said, still speaking as Ignis. "He was always so quick to save you from yourself. All the times he held you back from attacking me. How tender he was when you had to confront your dear brother. I've seen the way you look at him as well. You aren't that difficult to read, and I do know you quite well, after all. You really should have settled down with him, rather than coming here." And so saying, he grabbed her by the throat.

"Did you really think a death spell would work on me," Ardyn hissed, reverting back to his own voice and form. "Do you know how many times I have used that spell on myself? I have injected, swallowed, bathed in it, and it has done nothing. I am immortal, Delenda." Then he threw her aside so she hit the floor with a jarring thud, momentarily stunned.

It was while she was lying there, digesting his madness that the truth came to her.

"You want to die? You did all of this, strung along Noctis, urged him to get the powers of the Astrals, just so he will be strong enough to kill you." Her voice was hoarse, she noticed, as though she had been screaming in terror for hours.

He stood over her, peered down, and smirked. "Well, done, Delenda. You understand me so well. Quite sure I can't tempt you into marrying me? Never mind then," he added when he saw look of disgust.

"Only a True King will be able to stop me. One who has the powers of the Astrals and the 'esteemed' former rulers of Lucis. Oh, it will require Noctis to sacrifice his life in the process, so don't get too attached to him, but it should make him powerful enough to destroy me, so it will all be worth it."

Delenda struggled to her feet. "What do you mean?" She didn't really want to encourage the madness, but she had a thought of keeping him talking as long as she could, while she thought of something else that could stop him. She was out of ideas though, and knew it.

"After their 'failure' with me, the Astrals together with the first King of Lucis decided to create a final check on the powers they so generously bestowed. Anyone who is deemed worthy to obtain the powers will get them, but it will kill them. Isn't it a neat little solution?"

It made a sick sort of sense, Delenda realized. It would be exactly the type of setup the Astrals would use. She glanced again at the crystal. That goddamned crystal! It was the originator of all their woes.

"Really, I did Luna a favor. She would have died anyway after getting all the Astrals's powers. I swooped in like an angel of mercy to give her a swift end. I didn't want her to suffer," he added, sarcastically referring back to what Delenda had said to him.

"And when Noctis dies, there is no royal family of Lucis left. He is the last of the line of fools who got what I should have had. So when we both die, I win. Really, your only chance of not giving me what I want is to keep the endless darkness indefinitely. You sure you don't want that? You could rule the darkness with me and keep me from what I really want as your ultimate revenge," he added leadingly. "I could even pretend to be Iggy the whole time if you want."

"Don't you ever, ever play that game with me again, you depraved son of a bitch," Delenda said coldly, every ounce of hatred she had in her words. "I'm not you. I'm not going to do something horrible in the pursuit of sheer spite."

"The ends don't justify the means," he said mockingly. Then he looked up, sharply, giving a feral grin. "Oh, I do believe Noctis is here. Let's see how well he fares against Ifrit. If Noctis is the True King, he should make short work of him. Ah, ah ah," he said tauntingly to Delenda as she began making her way purposefully to the door to help Noctis. "You stay here." So saying, he picked up her magic vials and threw one at her.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the shattered glass, the pain and death, but instead it shattered a few feet away from her. Before she could collect herself, she heard a few more hit around her, but not hitting her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that the entire floor around her was covered with ice. Interspersed with the ice was black veins, signifying the death infusion.

"I would advise standing still, Delenda. The death spell in that ice will kill you if you step in it. But far be it from me to tell you what to do. I'll let you know how your knights in shining armor fare. Laters!"

* * *

Noctis's delegation's homecoming was not what they dreamed of after their departure 3+ years ago. The city was abandoned, frozen in chaos, and teeming with monsters that may have once been the populace. They found the Regalia 2 near the gates. Ignis ran up to it, calling for Delenda, only to find it empty.

"What do you think happened to her," Prompto asked.

"Her magic bag isn't here, so it's apparent she left the truck. Beyond that, I don't know," Ignis replied, voice strained. He was soul-sick at that thought of what could have happened to her.

"She's good with magic," Gladio added matter-of-factly. "She's not about to be taken down by the first monster she comes into contact with."

"Yeah," Prompto added in hearty agreement, trying to keep Ignis's spirits up, as well as his own.

"Let's keep moving towards the Citadel," Noctis said. It seemed to be the sanest plan.

"There's lots of monsters here, guys. What should we do," Prompto ventured next.

"We plow through them," Gladio said grimly.

It was just like old times, the 4 of them taking down monsters. Even if they were big deadly ones. They were still short Delenda, though, and they were feeling the pinch. They kept expecting a potion to come out of nowhere to heal them when their strength was low, or a random fireball to appear to incinerate one of their foes. Even Delenda's feedback of the surroundings, and her observations about the foes would have been helpful. Except there was nothing. They were on their own. They were down a member of their team. She thought her contribution to the team was small and useless, but she was quite mistaken. She was more important than she knew.

"Looks like the Citadel is lit," Ignis observed as they got closer.

"Yeah. Looks like Ardyn wants this as badly as we do," Noctis responded snidely.

They made their way past the gates into Ifrit's domain.

Noctis saw him, and his eyes narrowed. He remembered what Bahamut had said about him.

"Welcome, boys," Ardyn greeted from the main stairs, as oily as always.

"Where's Delenda," Ignis and Noctis both ended up asking in unison.

"How do you know she wasn't destroyed by a Daemon on the way here?"

Ignis tensed, but then he thought it through. "If you knew she was on the way here then you have seen her. Where is she?"

"Clever as always, Iggy. She is in my lair and is a wee bit incapacitated at the moment, but there's not much you can do about that yet. Ifrit, come here," he called to the Astral in his power. Then he turned back to Noctis and team. "You can expect a 'warm' welcome from him. Let's see how well you do with him. I'll be waiting in the throne room. Tata."

"That damn bastard," Gladio growled savagely as he left.

Ignis was thinking quickly, willing his thoughts to stay away from thinking about Delenda being in Ardyn's power, what that monster could do to her, and what he could have done already. It wouldn't do Ignis any good to panic about that. He dug for the calm objectivity he always had in battle. Dug for it, and found it.

"We have an Astral-shaped obstacle to fight before we can do anything else. Noct, what do you know about him?"

"He's Ifrit. He answers to Ardyn now from what Bahamut says."

"Wait, then what kind of powers did you get," Gladio asked. "I thought you would have had all the Astrals's powers by now."

Noctis shrugged, but the look on his face was decidedly uncomfortable. He couldn't tell them about the true nature of his power, and what it would require.

Ignis was looking at him suspiciously, but didn't press it as Ifrit had begun its attack.

* * *

 **Ardyn had a field day of crazyness this time around didn't he?** **Poor Delenda :( Anyway, till next time-there are only a couple of chapters left. If you've stayed with it this far, you're the greatest! Just hang tight just a little more and you will get to see the end.**


	17. Chapter 17: Darkest Before the Dawn

**Hi Everyone! Next chapter time. We are getting into the home stretch! This should be the second to last chapter I think. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The Chocobros had never had to fight an elemental being before. Ramuh (lightning) and Shiva (ice) had agreed to help Luna, no questions asked. Ifrit, however, was in no mood to help them and would burn them to death if he could. It was hard even getting close to him—the radiant heat was too much. In the meanwhile, he could get them from a distance. And, due to his gigantic size, he could easily catch up with them no matter where they went.

"Anyone got a plan," Gladio asked.

"I'm thinking of one," Noctis responded. By the tone of his voice, it was clear he had nothing.

Ignis was sizing up the area. They were standing on a mezzanine. There were steps below leading to a lower courtyard with a fountain in the middle. A fountain that contained water…

"Gents, down there," Ignis said urgently.

The team didn't argue or ask what his plan was. They just followed blindly out of sheer desperation. Ignis could already feel the rumbles of the astral's feet behind them. He was pursuing. They didn't have long.

"Into the fountain," Ignis ordered as soon as they reached the lower level.

"What do you have in mind," Noctis asked.

"Water should keep us cool a little longer, so we can perhaps offset some of the monster's heat. Stand here, and as soon as he's within teleport distance, warp strike him. Then make your way back here. Prompto, you stay here and shoot him whenever you get a clean shot."

"What about us," Gladio asked.

"We need to observe its movements first. Once we have a handle on what he can do, and our fight timing, Noctis can warp us in with him to do more damage."

"So I get to be the guinea pig," Noctis asked, dryly.

"Kings lead," Ignis said prosaically. "Gladio and I have to briefly play the cowards for now."

"Hmph. _You_ observe, Iggy," Gladio snarked. "I'll shield Prompto. Even if that thing steps a little close, it will be enough to knock that wuss out."

"Hey," Prompto replied, as insulted as always.

"Very well, but be quick about it. Here he comes," Ignis replied.

* * *

Delenda stared at shocked disbelief at the deadly ice around her. Trapped by her own magic. How could she be so stupid? And how could she have been foolish enough to think the death spell would work on Ardyn? He was immortal. Of course the death spell had to have been tried at some point. And apparently he had even tried it on himself, she thought with a shiver, recalling his treacherous hands on her throat at the time he had told her. It was as though she could still feel them now, choking her, leaching the life from her. No, it was just pure anxiety tightening her throat. If she didn't do something, she would have a full-blown panic attack, which she couldn't afford right now.

Why the hell had Ardyn played the marriage proposal card? She knew full well love or attraction had nothing to do with it. Thank God, she added fervently. Even those words together with him made her clench in fear and disgust. It had to have been just to mess with her, again. He had had no intention of negotiating with her at all, and had deliberately picked the most awful thing he could think of as a counter-offer, knowing full well she would never accept it. He had even disguised himself as Ignis to demoralize her further, she thought, shuddering with horror.

But then, why bother with the charade at all? He could have killed her outright when she first showed up. But instead he brought her up here, and she was, currently anyway, still alive. She had no value to him like Noctis did. Why leave her alive at all?

Ugh! He was nuts! She could never decipher his motives, and even when she did perceive something about him, it was because he allowed it. She couldn't stand here, trying to figure him out. She had to get down and help Noctis. He had finally come back! Were the others with him? Was "her" Ignis down there being cornered by Ifrit? Not if she could help it.

She looked down at the ice again. She knew that level 1 ice spells kept things frozen for 15 minutes. She had had level 3 spells in her bag. This meant she would be stranded almost an hour in the ice. That was unacceptable. But the spells only did lethal damage if they touched the skin. She remembered some of her failed casting early on, when some residual spell had hit the team. It had still done serious damage to the daemon, but only minor damage to them since they had had clothing to protect them. They were really only injured on the exposed skin. By that logic, if she could manage to keep the death ice away from her skin, maybe she would be ok.

But then again, the daemons didn't walk around without clothes, either. The clothing spawned and disintegrated with them. By that logic, was their "attire" clothing or skin? Well, she could easily find out what it did to her clothes. She took off one of her socks, and threw it at the ice. If it froze, she would know she was trapped. It did freeze, but it took it a minute or 2. Like what happened when somebody dipped their gloved hand in the snow. At first everything is fine, but then as the snow melts into the glove, your hand gets damned cold. It took a lot longer for that to happen to a shoe. Would it take awhile for the magic to affect her shoes too?

If she was going to risk it, she would have to walk across the ice without slipping and falling on it. And she would have to do it quickly before the ice could seep into her shoe. If she took too long, she could die. If she fell onto the ice at any point, she would die instantly. Could she really take the risk? After what had happened so far, she had no choice. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward onto the deadly ice.

* * *

Ignis had the fight timing now. He saw that Ifrit only had 3 types of attacks that he was using on a regular basis. He was able to gauge the timing of the strikes and the distance they could cover. They were fast and covered a large distance, but Noctis was staying ahead of him, even if he wasn't doing much damage with his strikes. Time to see if 3 times the damage per warp would do anything.

"Noct, Gladio, time to make our move."

Noctis and Gladio rushed back to the fountain. "Ok. On my signal, grab our hands and warp us over there…NOW." Ignis had forgotten to factor in the adjustment time of recouping after a warp. It had been so long since they had last done it, that he lost his bearings for a costly second. He saw Ifrit's fiery hand slashing down on him, only to be back near the fountain in the next breath. Noctis had warped him back out.

"My apologies," Ignis said dryly. "I forgot that it takes a bit to get accustomed to warping," he said as nonchalantly as he could. "I will factor that into our timing next time."

"Ok. Let's try again."

"No reacharound this time, Noct," Gladio snarked, not liking that Noctis had put his arm around him to warp him out.

"Pretend it's Aranea next time," Noctis said teasingly, then warped them back in. This time the timing was perfect, and they landed 3 strong hits. Judging from the roar of the astral, they had done some damage.

They had the rhythm down. As soon as one of them saw the opening, he would yell out, "now," Noctis would warp them forward to make their hits, then warp them back to safety. Prompto kept shooting, and they all made their way to the fountain to cool off and to heal heat blisters when they had a spare second. They were not doing enough damage though.

"Any other ideas," Gladio asked.

"You are forgetting about me," a dignified disembodied female voice resonated from Noctis's ring.

"Shiva, is that you," Noctis asked.

"Yes. Ifrit is too tainted to be brought back to the light. Command me, and I will take care of him."

"That's an Astral talking? How come I can understand her? I thought they all spoke in that—growling stuff," Prompto asked.

Noctis responded, "of all the astrals, she has the strongest bond with humans. As such, she knows our language. Luna recruited her first."

Noctis spoke to Shiva: "I don't want to ask you to destroy one of your own but we could really use your help here. Please?"

The ice being erupted out of the ring, emitting sparkles of snowflakes. She was the most human-like of all the astrals, looking more like a human woman than a monstrous beast. The only things differentiating her from humans was her ice-cast form, and her immense power. She drifted over to Ifrit gracefully. Noctis and team watched, expecting an epic battle. Instead, she spoke to Ifrit in tones they couldn't understand. Then she kissed his cheek, turning him to ice.

"Finish him now," she commanded.

They lunged forward to do her bidding. Ifrit shattered into a thousand pieces and was no more.

"Woah," Prompto said. "Did we like, just kill a god or something?"

"Thanks, Shiva," Noctis said with dignity.

"Now only the Dark One remains. Fare thee well, Noctis Lucis Caelum, King of Insomnia," Shiva responded, and she returned to the ring.

They returned to the mezzanine. Noctis looked up at his home, his castle. It had begun to rain, maybe because the clash of ice and fire from earlier. "It's so much bigger than I remembered," Noctis said, awe in his voice.

"Um, I hate to interrupt our homecoming, but we have another tiny problem," Prompto said.

He turned around to see what Prompto was talking about. Seemingly every daemon in the city, if not the world, was making their way through the gates. Ignis was staring as well, raw pain in his expression. He had to get to Delenda, but if he did that, he would be abandoning his comrades to the daemon horde. Either was unacceptable. What should he do?

Noctis looked to them all. "I—I'm not asking you to sacrifice yourselves for me. I never wanted that. You have gotten me home. It is enough. I will get Delenda out and take it from here. You are all hereby relieved of duty."

"Bullshit, your Highness," Gladio said. I'm not backing out when there are more daemons to kill.

"Oh, so I'm a free agent now," Prompto said brightly. "Then I choose to do this then." So saying, he began firing his gun at the approaching daemons too.

Ignis looked to Noctis, his king. The one man who could bring a stop to all of this. He had to trust his best friend now. "Can I ask you to take care of Delenda? I will catch up, as soon as I can."

"You have my word as your best friend, that I will keep Delenda safe."

There was so much understanding and wisdom in his expression, conviction in his tone, that it reminded Ignis of King Regis. It seemed that his friend had finally grown up.

* * *

Delenda's progress against the ice was agonizingly slow, but it was working so far. She was stuck taking a step, catching her balance, and then taking another. Her shoes were holding up so far, but she was uncertain how much time she had. She was not concerned about having absorbed any of the spell yet. Even a drop of the death spell could kill someone, so she figured if she had absorbed any so far, she'd already be dead. Ice was unpredictable, and her traction really depended on the specific spot. In most cases, going slowly helps, but if she came across that one perfectly smooth spot, she'd be down and most likely dead.

The end was in sight. Just a few more baby steps and she was out of the ice. She kicked off her shoes frantically to keep any remnants of the spell away from her once she was clear. She'd worry about what to do for shoes later. She ran to the elevators, half expecting Ardyn to come out of the elevator that came for her. The elevator was blissfully empty, and she made it down to the lobby just in time to see the bearded man striding purposefully through the entrance.

It took her a few seconds to recognize him. "Noctis, is that you," she exclaimed.

"Delenda! Are you—ok?"

"As you can see, yes."

"Good! Ignis will be so relieved."

"Is he here?"

"Yep. He's outside with Gladio and Prompto. You should go to him."

"What about you?"

"It's my turn to take on Ardyn."

"Alone! No way! I already tried that and failed. You need all of us."

"I will do this. Go to Ignis," he said firmly.

She studied him again. He was much more mature than he was before, but it went beyond that. She was looking at a man prepared to die. She remembered what Ardyn had said about the True King. She hadn't been sure if Ardyn was lying or not, but she feared for once he was telling the truth.

"Ardyn said if you do this, you will die."

"I know," he said gently. I will take care of it. Ignis—needs you. Please, go."

Delenda wanted to run to Ignis's side, to just be with him, but again numbers weren't on their side. Just like Altissia, she thought in despair. She had no choice. "Ignis has Prompto and Gladio on his side," she said decisively. "Right now, you have no one. I know I'm not much, but I'm not going to let you die alone."

"I'm not asking you to—"

"You want to argue about this all day? I think Ardyn is long due for a beating. Don't you?"

He smirked at that. "Oh, I think I can give him that. Do the elevators still work?"

"Of course! Right this way, your majesty."

* * *

Delenda retraced her steps back to the lion's den, except this time Noctis was with her. They were silent in the elevator up. She didn't ask what had happened in the crystal, and he didn't ask her what had happened with Ardyn or why her shoes were missing.

Ardyn couldn't have been back in the throne room long or else Delenda would have bumped into him as she escaped. He was certainly acting like he'd been there awhile though. He was sprawled indolently on the throne, booted feet scuffing the elaborate rug beneath it. He was clearly taunting Noctis. "Remember, Noctis, don't let him get in your head," Delenda whispered to him frantically. Not like she should talk though, she thought bitterly. She'd let Ardyn play her like a fiddle.

"Ah Noctis. So great to see you," Ardyn said, with enough oily sarcasm to make Noctis's jaw clench. "I trust your sojurn in the crystal went well?"

"I'm reclaiming what's mine. Get off my throne, jester. This is my ascension."

"Ah, the fabled throne of Lucis. There is only room for one up here."

"This ends here, tonight."

"Yes. I've waited _so_ long for this," Ardyn responded with relish. And so saying, he teleported outside. Delenda didn't know he had warping capabilities. He was an immortal shapeshifter though, so she supposed she shouldn't be surprised.

Delenda was watching Noctis to see what he would do next. He walked slowly to the throne that Ardyn had just vacated. He touched it gently, wistfully. He was no doubt remembering the last time he was in here. His father would have been alive then, she thought with a flash of pain on his behalf.

Then he sat down in it, resolutely. This wasn't right, she thought sadly. His claiming of the throne should have been with pomp and circumstance with Luna by his side. Instead it was like this, and with her.

He looked down at her, gravely. "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you," she asked softly.

He sighed. He'd given her one last chance to escape, but she wasn't taking it. He was out of time.

He looked down at the Ring of the Lucii. "Kings of Lucis. Come to me!"

Delenda watched as energy surged from the ring, taking on the ghostly forms of the kings of old. They gathered around Noctis, but she could see through them to see him. He was remarkably calm, resigned. Had his time in the crystal prepared him for this? He looked around from one to the other, focusing on one in particular. "Trust me, dad," was all he said.

Then the ghosts moved, drawing their weapons. Delenda had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying out as one after the other, they stabbed Noctis. He flinched and contorted in pain, but his white-knuckle grip on the throne kept him upright. King Regis hesitated for a moment, whispered something she couldn't hear, then ran him through as well. That deed done, the wraiths receded into the crystal.

She ran over to Noctis, to try to help him, but already he was standing up stiffly. As he rose, she could see the energy swirling around him, like a shield. She could feel it as well. It was like there was an intimidating army standing before her. This was the kind of power required to defeat Ardyn?

With one last nod to her, Noctis warped out of the throne room to the street where Ardyn waited.

* * *

It was a long way to the street, but with the power of kings, Noctis could travel farther than he ever had before. He didn't want to think about how long this power would last. It would have to be enough to kill that bastard.

Ardyn was loitering on the dark street nonchalantly, waiting for Noctis to appear. "Ah, the once hopeless and hapless prince. Finally ready to reclaim his throne. Let's make this fun, shall we?" And he lunged.

Noctis was caught off-guard by the ferocity of his attack. Ardyn was fast, deadly, and could warp as well as he could. Only the royal family of Lucis had that skill as far as he knew. It seemed like Bahamut was right. Ardyn was part of it.

Noctis began to fight in earnest. The street and the buildings above it became their diabolical playground. Noctis was using the building walls as warp points to try to get Ardyn from above, and Ardyn was warping from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to do the same to him.

The astrals were helping indirectly, periodically changing the street to a snowscape to try to freeze Ardyn, spawning random bolts of lightning in the attempt to distract him. Noctis was able leverage the power of the astrals and the kings of Lucis in his fight. He just hoped it would be enough.

They say you get to know people by clashing swords with them. It seemed to be true. By engaging in physical combat with Ardyn, Noctis was able to strip away the lies and half-truths the fiend had been feeding them for the past 3 years. He was able to see who, or what, Ardyn really was: a vicious, spiteful bastard who wanted to die and take the whole world with him if he could. Noctis would help him die, but he wouldn't let him have the world. He wouldn't let his daemon army kill his friends. He wouldn't let him torment Delenda anymore. He would put this monster out of his misery.


	18. Chapter 18: Heroes of Light

**Here it is! The final chapter, grand finale, exciting conclusion, thank goodness this drivel is over with-whatever you want to call it ;-) This one is a little longer than the others, but there was no good place to split it up. There is also some strongish language in here (full on "f bombs"). I think it's still ok for Teen rating (I know I was fine with them at that age) but if anyone is scandalized, let me know and I will do something about it. Oh, and there is major cannon deviation in here.**

* * *

From her vantage point, Delenda couldn't see much of the fight. Plus, Noctis and Ardyn were moving too quickly for her to be able to keep track of them. It was a battle beyond human sight. Noctis had transcended normal limits and was now as unworldly as Ardyn. This was the true power of the astrals and the crystals, but Delenda knew full well the cost.

She stared at the crystal again. It was the architect of everything wrong in the world. It had done nothing against the original starscorurge, leaving somebody like Ardyn to have to take care of it. It had made him into the monster he had become. It had gotten Insomnia destroyed. It had gotten Luna killed, and it was about to do the same to Noctis. Her friends could be dying as well. Ignis could be… A blinding fury gripped her.

Reflexively, she picked up a couple of her magic vials from her bag she had left on the floor and hurled them at the crystal. "Hey, crystal, Bahamut, whatever the fuck your name is. I'm talking to you!" She tossed a few more vials. "What, nothing to say? Everything has gone according to your plan hasn't it? You get a noble prince to clean up your mess and then you decide to kill him for it. Great job!" She chucked another vial. "You bait and switch with the power of the astrals, knowing full well that one was a turncoat. You know what? The world is better off without—" she was cut off when a hand, the same hand that had reached out for Noctis 3 years ago, reached out for her, pulling her in.

She landed in a dark space, facing a tribunal. It was her turn to be surrounded by the kings of Lucis, and obviously another astral. She assumed Bahamut. So, she had gotten their attention? Good!

She turned to the wraith of King Regis. "So, are you going to stab me like you stabbed your son?"

"You do not understand the situation, Lady Delenda."

"Oh I understand full well. You are using your son as a sacrificial lamb to clean up _your_ mistakes." She made a sweeping gesture to implicate everyone present.

"Say what you want about Ardyn, but at least he had the guts to try to stop the starscourge 1000 years ago. Where the fuck were all of you? Tell me this, Bahamut," she sneered the name, "why did you decide that Ardyn was unworthy after having made that sacrifice? Wasn't returning light to your world enough?"

"That level of power corrupted him. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Oh, spare me! What's next, there is no such thing as a free lunch? Your answer was to do nothing until somebody came to you for help, use him, and throw him away. What kind of 'mystical beings' are you? This is your fucking planet too. Why did you need a 'weak human' to save your ass?"

"You know nothing, human. Our concept of time is different than yours. We would have found a way to fix it, but your first Oracle was too impatient. He wanted a quick fix, so we gave it to him without realizing the consequences."

"Oh, I know all about your concept of time. The same concept that took the last 3 years of Noctis's life away from him. If this is the best you can do, we don't need your help."

"Silence, you ungrateful wench!"

"Or what? You will kill me as you planned to kill Luna? Or will you corrupt me like you did Ardyn?"

Bahamut raised his arm, preparing to strike her. She just glared back, daring him to do his worst.

The strike didn't make contact. King Regis blocked it with his sword.

"What do you want, Lady Delenda," King Regis asked.

"I want Noctis to be able to see the sunrise he will bring. I want him to live a normal life in a normal goddamned world. I want Ardyn to get the escape from the immortal life he craves."

"That is impossible," Bahamut responded. "Noctis cannot be allowed to have the power we have bestowed upon him indefinitely. It will corrupt him as it did Ardyn."

"Then take powers away from both of them. Let them fight as humans, as equals. Stop meddling in our affairs and let us deal with things ourselves."

"You are rejecting the power of gods?"

"If it's the kind of power you are offering, then yes."

Bahamut was lost in thought until he finally spoke. "You want to return years to Noctis's life, but he is a mere human. Even if he lives a normal lifespan, it is but a drop compared to the river of time. Do you really want to sacrifice our powers and magic just for something as minuscule as that?"

"It doesn't matter if he dies tomorrow or 1000 years from now. You have manipulated and played with people's lives for long enough and if we have to lose your powers in order to stop it, then I think it's a small price to pay."

"And who are you to make the decision on behalf of all of humanity? You are not even a royal."

"No, I'm not. I'm just a nobody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time who got roped into all this. I'm just like everybody else. So I represent humans better than a 'special' royal ever could."

Bahamut thought for a moment. "I can grant your request. We shall strip Ardyn's and Noctis's powers. But in return, the astrals will leave this planet. We will take the crystal, the ring, and all the elemental stones with us, and will never return. And you will be the one singlehandedly responsible for the destruction of magic on this planet. Can you live with that, human?"

"If Noctis lives, Ardyn dies, and light is restored, I can" she responded with conviction.

"Very well. Consider it done."

"You drive a hard bargain, Lady Delenda," King Regis spoke with admiration. "If my son lives, he will need a new queen. I'd be proud if it was you."

What was it with people wanting her to be queen? "Noctis is a very dear friend, but that's all. I'm in love with another. I'm sorry to disappoint," Delenda responded.

King Regis smiled. "Ignis is a very lucky man."

"Wha—what! How did you know?"

"Seeing as I know the both of you, I can safely say that you two are made for each other."

She ducked her head, blushing.

"Except, Lady Delenda, you are forgetting one thing. Once Bahamut strips them of their powers, Noctis will also be weakened."

"I have faith in him. If things are evened out, he has enough to defeat Ardyn with."

"You may be right. Now come along. The crystal is no place for you."

* * *

Noctis was near spent. Even with all the powers he had, he was still struggling against Ardyn. He supposed that's what happens when you take on an immortal being. He could tell Ardyn was getting tired though too. They were no longer in the air, and were back to the street below.

After Ardyn parried another blow, he said, "So it will be a battle of attrition, then? I cannot kill you, and you cannot kill me. Are the two of us destined to do this forever?"

"No. One way or the other, it is ending tonight."

"Well, I suppose you are right, but then again 'tonight' is going on forever." He lunged again with a strength that knocked Noctis to the ground. Ardyn went in for the kill, but Noctis blocked with his sword at the last minute.

"When your father died, you were off playing with your friends. When your beloved died, you lay watching powerless to stop it," Ardyn added viciously, punctuating each sentence with a harder push to try to get Noctis's guard to break.

"How does it feel to know that each second you were away, your kingdom, your people, your world, were trapped in darkness? That the memories of your people will always be tainted by the darkness? Even if you restore light to them, they will still remember all you put them through, and will blame you. Really, your death will be a sweet mercy."

Noctis used a, possibly the, last bit of strength he had to push Ardyn's sword away. He surged up, and got a safe distance between them.

"You're right. I can't give them 3 years back. But I didn't take that 3 years away, you did!" He added, desperately, "I will die, but I will take you with me before I go!"

He saw the wraiths of the Kings of Lucis appear around them. He knew it was the end. He had to end it now.

"Oh, the Kings of Lucis are here to call you forth to oblivion," Ardyn added dryly.

Noctis lunged forward, only to have Ardyn stagger back in surprise. "My, stamina, is, fading. How interesting."

Now that he mentioned it, Noctis noticed his powers were waning. He didn't feel like he was dying though. But then again, nobody really knew what dying felt like until it was upon them anyway. He looked at his hand. The ring was fading away.

It was then that he heard a monumental shatter coming from the Citadel. All the windows on the top floor blew out at once, covering the street with a snowfall of broken glass.

Ardyn spoke again. "I do believe, we have lost our powers. End it now, King Noctis, if you can."

* * *

Delenda was shoved out of the crystal. She landed flat on her face on the floor, temporarily winded. It while she was still laying prone that she heard the deafening shatter behind her. She covered her head as shards of the crystal exploded in all directions, raining down on her. When the dust settled, she surged to her feet.

The crystal was utterly destroyed. The pieces that remained were as useless as broken glass. Speaking of broken glass, the power of the explosion had also shattered all the windows on this level. Delenda shivered as she felt and heard the cold breeze blowing in. The astrals had done as they said. She had to get to Noctis.

She gingerly picked her way around the broken crystal (she still had no shoes), then ran down the hallway to the elevators. The ride down was the longest she had ever had. She kept thinking of a weakened Noctis and if he didn't have enough left to defeat Ardyn with. It didn't matter. If he didn't, she did. He was mortal now.

She made it down to the street, and surveyed the scene. She had expected to see Noctis down in a welter of blood with Ardyn gloating over him, or Ardyn lying dead, Noctis staring down at him. Instead, the 2 were still standing, staring at each other. It was clear they were both exhausted. It made sense though, seeing as their powers were gone.

Ardyn sighed. "Really Noct, I don't know how much more incentive you need. If you won't take the last strike, I will," and he lunged forward, clearly ready to kill him.

Delenda didn't even think. She grabbed a piece of glass from one of the broken windows and rushed forward, stabbing Ardyn in the back at the same time Noctis broke through his guard and ran him through the chest.

Ardyn collapsed, mortally wounded to the ground. He turned to Delenda. "Ah, Delicious. I should have figured you'd be here—at—the end," he said with a weak smirk. It was clear he was dying. His face was chalk white, and there was too much blood pooling around him.

"You were going to kill Noctis. I had no choice," Delenda said. Strange that she wanted to explain her actions at this point.

"True. No hard feelings, Delenda." He held out his hand to her. Was he apologizing to her, after all he had done? Was it some kind of trick? She looked at Noctis uncertainly. He just shrugged. Ardyn wasn't a threat now. He was fading. She had more history with him than she wanted to, but she still knew him too well. She couldn't be spiteful now or she'd be just like him. She took his hand. It was ice-cold.

"Why didn't you kill me," Delenda felt compelled to ask.

"Too much-history between us. And it wouldn't have been fun," he added. If he had any strength left he would have accompanied it with a smirk.

Delenda needed closure so she asked, "and why did you want to marry me?" She ignored Noctis's shocked double-take.

Ardyn made a weak chuckle that ended with a bloody cough. "I-wanted to see-how far you were willing to go in your quest for peace. A-true diplomat would have taken-that offer. But, you were always too honest for that. You were so much fun to have around, your truth against my lies—" he broke off again for another violent cough.

The end was near, and he knew it too.

"Thank you, Dear Delenda. Thank you, King Noctis." His eyes were closing.

"Now, you can rest in peace. Close your eyes forevermore," Noctis said gently.

"I—will see you all again—in the beyond," Ardyn whispered.

Ardyn faded away into nothingness like the daemon he had once been.

* * *

Noctis and Delenda looked at each other in silence for a couple of minutes, only for it to be broken by Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio.

"The daemons stopped coming! Did you do it," Prompto asked.

"Yeah," was all Noctis could say.

Delenda stared at all of them, battle-worn, but none the worse for wear. Then she lost it.

"I waited, for 3 goddamned years. Just to finally give up, 2 fucking days early." Then she started laughing, hysterically. The others looked at each other, alarmed. At some point, her laughter turned to crying, and she couldn't stop. It was as though all the rage, fear, frustration, and stress had finally built up to a point where she couldn't control it, and it was all coming out now.

Ignis took control, pulling her into his arms, murmuring comforting words and assurances. Trapped in her pain, Delenda didn't understand the words, but at some level she recognized the tone and took comfort. Her body knew this was the "right" Ignis and took every bit of comfort he offered.

A long time later, Delenda collected herself, and her rational mind realized who held her. She looked up at Ignis's face. He had a bruise peeking out from outside the frame of his glasses, and a few nicks. She touched the wounds, gently. "I'm sorry I don't have any potions for you."

He took her hands and held them. "I don't need any. And, you?" There was a wealth of intensity in the question.

"No. I'm fine."

"Do you have any idea what you put me through, Delenda," Ignis asked, relief fading away to anger. "What the hell were you thinking going off alone like that?"

"Since nobody else expressed an interest in going, I figured I would take care of it myself."

"And did your plan work," he asked coldly.

She couldn't meet his eyes. "Not exactly. And you don't need to tell me 'I told you so' or that I should be lucky Ardyn didn't harm me. I already know all of that."

Ignis sighed. "I should be more furious with you, Delenda, but the fact is I'm just relieved you are all right."

"I'm fine. For what it's worth, Ardyn didn't really harm me. He just rambled like a madman until you got here. You know, the 'usual stuff' with him…"

His eyes narrowed. "There is nothing 'usual' with him. What did he do to you," he asked sharply.

She told him everything that had transpired.

"Sounds like he still did plenty of 'harm'," Ignis responded, voice hard. "I don't like that he masqueraded as me to hurt you, either. And the fact that he tried to get you to…Dammit," Ignis exploded. "I wish I could kill him again for good measure! I wish I had been there to do it myself the first goddamn time!" He calmed himself with a little effort. "I'm sorry—I couldn't abandon the others, no matter how much I wanted to. I should have come, daggers ablazing, to your rescue."

"It's my own fault! You don't need to—"

"Just, don't," Ignis cut her off firmly.

"You can't protect me all the time, Ignis."

"I know, but I'd like to."

"Why?"

"I think you know why," he whispered against her ear.

She blushed, feeling the same melting sensation she had felt in the kitchen the night she left. She turned to face him. In the gray light of the first dawn in 3 years, she could see everything in the intensity of his gaze.

Prompto interrupted, as usual. "Um, sorry guys, but if all is good over here, you might want to talk to Noctis. He's freaking out that he's not dead for some reason."

Ignis sighed impatiently. Then Delenda remembered. Noctis didn't know what happened. He was probably expecting the Kings to kill him at any time.

She ran over to Noctis. "Freaking out" wasn't really the right word. He was just standing around, confused. Gladio was glancing from him to the tinges of pink in the early morning horizon, just as confused.

"You're not going to die, Noctis," Delenda told him, matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess you could get hit by a bus or something at any time, but what I mean is, the Kings won't get you."

"How? The 'True King' story is totally true."

"I found a way to override it."

"No way! How did you do that?" There was a mix of cynicism and hope in his voice.

"I don't know if you will like the answer but…"

"Holy shit," Prompto chortled with glee after Delenda told them how she had basically told the gods to go to hell. "I would have paid good money to see that!"

"Yeah," Noctis agreed. "I would have loved to see the look on Bahamut's face when you told him all of that. So, this means I'm not gonna die?"

"Well, like I said, you could get hit by a bus, but…"

"I don't see any buses around here. But once we start rebuilding and implementing some infrastructure changes—Holy crap! I will actually be around to do that," he said dazedly.

"Infrastructure improvements. Sure you wouldn't prefer death," Gladio snarked, but he was smiling.

"That's what he has us for," Prompto said. "He just supervises, we do it, right?"

"Somehow I don't think you would be a good candidate for that," Gladio responded sarcastically.

"No, but Talcott is," Prompto responded, pointing behind them.

Talcott and Iris had arrived. It had taken them a few days to wait for fuel, but as soon as they had it, they hurried after them. Talcott was looking around in awe at the remains of the city. Iris just had eyes for Noctis.

"Iris," was all Noctis said when she strode up to him.

She slapped him, hard across the cheek. Noctis just stood there, stoically enduing.

"I deserved that," he responded, gently.

"Did you really think I would obey your orders 'oh great king'? You may be King of Lucis now, but you are still an asshole."

"I know," he said calmly.

"You, oh goddammit," she snapped back, then to everyone's surprise, especially Gladio's, she leaned forward and kissed Noctis. Rather than push her away with a pointed look at her brother, he took control of the kiss, responding with the passion a long-standing chemistry, an adrenaline crash, and a new lease on life could give someone.

Gladio shook his head and walked away. Prompto and Talcott wandered off one of the side streets. They wanted to check out some of their old haunts to see what they looked like.

Ignis took Delenda's hand and led her away from the couple.

"So, do you think Noctis and Iris are an item now," Delenda asked him.

"They'd better be, or Gladio will have something to say about it. I don't really care either way right now though. I'm more interested in us." Ignis looked at Delenda intently. "What you said in your letter, about there being no future for us. Do you think there is one now?"

Delenda looked away for a minute, before turning back to him and saying. "I'd like there to be?" She wished she hadn't said it so shyly and tentatively, but it was all she could muster.

Ignis smiled. "I think you know the answer to that. You're the only one who has ever made me this crazy. I'm in love with you, Delenda. I was since the day we met in that café."

She blushed but rallied. "Love at first sight, really," she responded, archly.

"Well, perhaps the better word is 'attraction' at first sight. I was intrigued by you when we first met. I saw you get out of Ardyn's car by the way."

"You knew I was connected to him all along?"

"Yes. I was suspicious of you, but it just added a level of mystery to the whole thing that I felt compelled to solve. If I hadn't been called away, I might have been able to seduce the secrets out of you."

She laughed. "Not then. I was too cautious to be taken in by the likes of you."

He smirked then. "Maybe, but then again, I'm cautious too. I know how to find ways around it. I can be quite, persuasive."

She smiled back, boldly. "Prompto's not around to interrupt. Prove it," she said.

He did. She marveled at his kiss, how somebody could be so cold and circumspect but still kiss that way. With such heat and abandon that nothing else mattered. He was a damned good seducer, she thought dazedly. He could get someone like her, who had always shied away from romance, to respond and cling to him with equal desperation. And there was a future in it, for them both. What that future would entail didn't matter. They had light and peace again. That was enough.

* * *

Day was breaking on the shore of Galdin Quay. The Regalia 2 and Talcott's truck were parked near the remains of the fishing pier. And 7 figures were standing, admiring the sunrise, letting the ocean wash over their feet.

Noctis was loathe to break his contact with Iris. She had her head on his shoulder, admiring the sunrise quite cozily. He didn't want to interrupt Ignis and Delenda, either, seeing as they were standing pretty much the same way, but he had a duty to attend to.

He stood before everyone. "I. This, is. So hard," he said with his voice breaking. Then to everyone's surprise he knelt before them. "You guys believed in me to the very end. I was fully prepared to die to repay that debt, but now that I don't have to, I don't know what else I can offer."

"You can get out of the water for a start," Ignis said, dryly, having noticed that Noctis had knelt in the waves, getting his pants wet.

"You know my answer, Noct, get up and move on," Gladio said gruffly.

"Lighten up, dude," was all Prompto said.

"Just be yourself and live your life. That is enough," Delenda told him.

"What she said, oh, and giving me a chance," Iris said shyly.

"Thank you," he whispered to everyone.

Daybreak arrived with a golden haze over the beach. This looked like the magical place Talcott remembered. It had needed light to make it complete.

Gladio was staring across the ocean. Was Aranea doing the same from the other side? He needed to get back there one of these days to see her. It seemed apparent Noctis didn't need him as a shield anymore. Noctis had his sister instead.

Prompto was looking back eagerly to the road behind them. Cindy was supposed to be coming by to check out the sunrise with them too. It was about time he told her how he felt. She said she was married to her work, but he was positive she could juggle both work and him. She was a powerhouse.

Noctis stood with Iris at her side. She was probably not the queen his father had had in mind, but then he had not expected Noctis to even survive, either. He cared for her. It was enough. He glanced up at the sky. He knew Luna was there watching over them. She wouldn't have wanted him pining for her. She would want him to live. He knew she would understand. He nodded, a gesture of apology and gratitude to the sky; a blessing to Luna. Somewhere, out in the void, she smiled back.

Delenda and Ignis stood together, side by side, in companionable silence. They didn't need words. They knew each other so well that they didn't need them. Everything they needed and felt were in those silences, and just being together.

The sun rose in all its glory, bringing the promise of a new day, a new life, a new world.

* * *

 **That's a wrap, everybody! I hope you don't find the ending too "fluffy" but after the heartbreaking cannon ending, I thought our guys and gals deserved something like this. Feel free to express opinions in the comments. Special thanks to everyone who has provided reviews (basecannon, TifaBea, Azalares-check out her Final Fantasy 15 tale "A Lesson in Magic" it's awesome; Merisida, and anunexpectedjourney). I've had regular reads from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Malaysia. Not 100% sure who's who, but I'm sure you do and you guys rock! Also thanks to anyone else who's read/liked that I didn't mention above. With that, I will mark this story as "complete". Laters Kupo!**


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